Feb. 14, 2016
AUBURN, Ala. - The fourth-ranked Auburn softball team finished the Plainsman Invite Sunday afternoon putting up 22 runs against Appalachian State in five innings at Jane B. Moore Field. The 22-5 win gives Auburn a 5-0 record before traveling to their first away game of the season against UCF.
"I am very happy with today," Auburn head coach Clint Myers said. "I thought the approach at the plate was very good. I thought some of our wings were outstanding. To have people swinging like this this early in the season is scary. It is also good going into this weekend. We are going to be playing some very good competition. The temperature will be a little warmer. We will see what kind of team we are when we get back from Florida."
Sophomore Whitney Jordan finished off a huge weekend for the Tigers bringing in three RBI and hitting her second homerun of the season. Jordan currently leads the team with 11 RBI.
"I think Whitney is a heck of an athlete," Myers said. "Whether she is playing the outfield or infield, she is going to attack the ball and give you her best shot at the plate. I hope it continues because I am very pleased with the direction she has started in."
In the circle, sophomore Kaylee Carlson got her second win for the season pitching two innings and only giving up four runs. The outing was not as dominate of a performance as she had against Western Kentucky on Friday, but it was enough to keep the Mountaineers off-balance.
In the first inning the Tigers scored nine runs featuring doubles from Jenna Abbott and Kasey Cooper. As a team, the Tigers scattered eight hits and batted around as the top of Auburn's lineup was able to finish off the scoring tallying three more hits in the second go-around.
After no-run second inning, the Tigers bounced back putting up eight runs in the third, four coming off a huge grand slam from Abbott, her first career grand slam. Abbott finished the day 2-for-3 with six RBI, a new career high.
Auburn, as a team, capitalized with the bases loaded all weekend long as Abbott's slam was the team's third of the weekend.
With the lead well in hand, Myers decided to let his bench get some at-bats which gave way to more RBI opportunities. After Kendall Veach reached by hit by pitch, and a Jade Rhodes walk, sophomore Courtney Shea hit a pinch hit homerun to dead centerfield. For Shea, it was her first homer of the year and second of her career, giving the Tigers the 20-4 lead.
"When you are able to extend the lead with the bench coming into play, that's big," Myers said. "It is nice to see all of the facets coming together on these last two days where we had the starters swinging the bat well and the bench swinging the bat well."
The Tigers will hit the road for the first time next week when they travel to Orlando to face UCF on Wednesday and then Clearwater, Fla., for the Michele Smith PCF Invitational Friday through Sunday. First pitch against the Golden Knights on Wednesday will be at 9 a.m.
For more information on Auburn softball, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter @Auburn_Softball or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoftball.