March 20, 2016
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Auburn won 2-0 over Mississippi State on Sunday to take the weekend series 2-1 and improved to 26-4 on the season and 3-2 in SEC play. MSU falls to 19-8 on the season and 1-2 in conference play with the loss.
Auburn posted its 14th shutout of the season with the win and the pitching was dominant for the Tigers on Sunday.
"Our pitching was really good for us pretty much the whole series," head coach Clint Myers said after the game. "The defense was spectacular too but we have to find our stroke on the offensive side of things."
Rachael Walters took the win (4-2) for the Tigers throwing 4.1 innings of scoreless softball, striking out five and allowing just a pair of hits. Sophomore Kaylee Carlson came in relief during the fifth and picked up her second save of the season tossing three strikeouts and allowing only two more hits.
The Tigers got ahead with a 2-0 lead in the third inning off Tiffany Howard's slapper to shortstop. An errant throw allowed Kasey Cooper to reach home and pinch runner Bree Fornis also scored on the play.
A weekend full of dominant pitching continued the trend as both teams went scoreless for the rest of the game.
Things got tense in the sixth inning when a leadoff single and walk put two runners for the Bulldogs and then a walk loaded the bases. Carlson was able to work herself out of the jam with a pair of big changeups ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" one for a strikeout and the other for a 1-3 ground out.
UP NEXT
Auburn heads to Atlanta on Wednesday to face Georgia State before hosting South Carolina Friday-Sunday and Jane B. Moore Field.