'Play like she did': Auburn wins one for Kelsey Bogaards

May 8, 2016

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Auburn's Kelsey Bogaards was in action early Sunday against Texas A&M
Auburn's Kelsey Bogaards was in action early Sunday against Texas A&M

By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. - Kasey Cooper says Auburn will head to post-season play with a new determination.

The Tigers will be playing for shortstop Kelsey Bogaards.

Auburn beat Texas A&M 5-4 Sunday in the regular-season softball finale to win a first-round bye in next week's SEC Tournament in Starkville after what was a suddenly-must-win game to snap a four-game losing streak. Cooper hit two clutch homers and Emily Carosone hit one. But the Tigers' thoughts were also with Bogaards, the player who spent countless hours rehabbing her surgically-repaired right knee so she could play at season's end.

She played for the first time Saturday. Sunday, she hurt her left knee starting a double play, ending her day on crutches, and her season as well.

"You can look at the negative and say, 'She's down. She's out.' Or you can say, 'Play like she did.' She came back and gave it her all," Cooper said. "She played for one game. She possibly saved that game with that one double play. She saved it. Ever since then, we said, 'Play for Turtle, play like it's your last' because for her, it was. Play for her.

"That's going to be the mantra. We have to do that. If we don't give it everything that we have every game, it could be our last. We're playing with everything we have for Turtle, and for every one of us."

The Tigers, winning on Senior Day when they honored 10 of their own, will begin post-season play at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against the winner of Wednesday's Alabama-Mississippi State game in the single-elimination conference tournament. The Tigers will begin NCAA Tournament play the next week, likely at home at Jane B. Moore Field.

Auburn finished the regular season at 46-9 overall and 16-7 in the SEC, earning the No. 4 seed in the league tournament. Texas A&M fell to 37-17 overall and 9-15 in the league and is the No. 10 seed in the tournament.

Carlee Wallace's RBI single in the first helped Auburn to a quick start Sunday. Cooper hit home runs in the third and fifth innings, the latter coming after Carosone, who became Auburn's all-time hit leader Saturday, launched a homer of her own. Jade Rhodes also had an RBI to backup pitcher Kaylee Carlson, who went the distance to improve to 14-1.

"What we had to play for was pride," said coach Clint Myers after losing twice to A&M. Sunday, Auburn had 10 hits and no errors. "Things are moving in the direction they need to be," he said.

But Bogaards' injury was on his mind.

"If you weren't just a little touched with Kelsey out thereÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬¦ You just haven't seen how hard she worked to get back. Hours upon hours, and that was every single day. And that was just for a shot to get back. She finally got cleared and got her in for a little bit," Myers said.

And then her season was over. Her life's ambition was in play.

"With Kelsey I'm sure she's going to be a phenomenal nurse. She's going to be the best of anything she wants to be," Myers said. "I've seen her work ethic and I've seen her really go after she really wanted. Hopefully, the team took notice. I did and the coaches did. If nothing else, this is now the time to play for a girl that left it on the softball field. They all saw the same things I did. I'm looking for good things from Auburn from this point on."

Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine