Feb. 17, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 2 Auburn softball team asserted its dominance Friday afternoon when it defeated Creighton, 8-0 in five innings, and SIUE, 8-1 at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers (6-1) combined for six extra-base hits, including three home runs.
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"I thought Corey [Myers] summed it up, we're figuring out ways to win and we have no quit," said head coach Clint Myers. "Right now, we're a dangerous team because if we get firing on all cylinders, you're going to see one heck of a team. Our pitching has been good and our defense, for the most part, has been good. When we get the bats going, that's the name of [the game]. We've been getting some timely hits, though, so that's a good thing."
Auburn was led at the plate by Haley Fagan, Courtney Shea and Carlee Wallace who each tallied multiple hits on the afternoon. Fagan racked up a team-high four RBI, while Kasey Cooper and Shea notched three RBI.
Kaylee Carlson worked 10 magnificent innings in the circle between the two contests. The junior allowed just three hits and totaled eight strikeouts, while holding opponents to hit just .094 on the day.
In the first game against the Bluejays (1-6), both teams were held scoreless through the first two innings.
After walks from Victoria Draper and Wallace, Fagan busted the game open with a three-run homer off the scoreboard. Auburn also took advantage of a Creighton miscue to plate another run and make it 4-0.
Two stanzas later, the Tigers loaded the bases for Carmyn Greenwood, who brought in one on a sacrifice fly to left. The heads up baserunning of Brittany Maresette added another as the ball got away from the catcher on the attempt to throw out Bree Fornis at the plate.
Shea then secured an RBI by way of a sacrifice fly to right to make the game 7-0 in favor of the home team. Once Jenna Abbott legged out an infield single, Justus Perry was hit by a pitch and Madi Gipson drilled a single, Cooper drew a bases loaded walk to bring in the final run and end the game by run rule, 8-0.
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In the second game of the day, Auburn again put up a crooked number in the bottom of the third inning to break a 0-0 deadlock.
Emily Spain was plunked to lead off and was followed up by a Draper bunt single to put two on for Cooper. The Dothan, Ala. native then belted a double into the right-center gap to score two and make it a 2-0 ballgame.
Fagan came to the dish and flared a triple down the line in right to bring in another. She later crossed the plate when Shea took a pitch the opposite way for an RBI single. The Tigers held a 4-0 lead after three.
In the fifth, Wallace started with a single. Veach stepped to the plate and delivered with a two-run roundtripper. The next batter, Shea tattooed her first homer of the season on a liner that cleared the right field wall and made it 7-0.
While her teammates were taking care of the offense, Carlson was putting on one of the best pitching performances of her career.
After walking the leadoff batter, Carlson retired the next 16 batters and had a no-hitter going into the sixth frame. SIUE (5-2) notched a pair of hits and one run in the sixth to cut into the deficit.
Maresette drew a walk to open the bottom of the sixth and later scored when Wallace smacked an RBI double to make it 8-1.
Ashlee Swindle, who closed out the first game with a 1-2-3 inning in her first career appearance, slammed the door shut in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a pair of strikeouts.
The Tigers return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon for a doubleheader at the Plainsman Invitational. Auburn kicks off the day with a 3:30 p.m. showdown with Evansville before facing Creighton again at 6 p.m.