Feb. 25, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 2 Auburn softball team defeated Yale, 9-0, and No. 13 James Madison, 4-0, in back-to-back shutouts Saturday. The Tigers (14-1) recorded their first no-hitter of the season to open the day against the Bulldogs (0-2) in the Tiger Invitational in front of a home record crowd of 2,620.
"The pitching has been the strength of the whole season," said head coach Clint Myers. "We've got two pitchers that deserve to be in the Top 50 Watch List for Player of the Year. They make pitches when they have to, they get outs when they have to and the defense is playing superb behind them. We pitch to contact and believe in the defense."
Kaylee Carlson tossed a complete-game shutout with a season-high eight strikeouts against the Dukes (11-2), while Makayla Martin and Ashlee Swindle combined to throw five innings of no-hit ball with five strikeouts versus Yale.
The trio allowed only eight runners to reach base between the two games at Jane B. Moore Field.
At the plate, Courtney Shea provided the pop in the lineup with a pair of home runs and a team-high five RBI. Kasey Cooper and Haley Fagan combined for six hits, including three for extra bases, and four RBI.
In the first game against Yale, Shea got the designated road team on the board first with an RBI single that scored Carlee Wallace, who reached base by a walk and was moved over by a single from Cooper.
Two frames later, the game was put out of reach as Auburn raced across six runs on six hits to take a 7-0 lead.
Fagan opened with a double and scored on the next pitch when Kendall Veach slapped a single to left-center. Shea then stepped to the plate and hit a two-run rocket over the right field wall.
Alyssa Rivera flared a double to deep left field and was followed up with a Whitney Jordan triple to center. Two batters later, Justus Perry slapped a single up the middle that scored two runs and capped the frame.
In the fourth, Cooper hit a double to left field and jogged home when Fagan drilled a roundtripper to the opposite field and made it 9-0.
Martin worked a nearly perfect three stanzas, allowing only one baserunner by a hit-by-pitch. Swindle then finished the job by throwing scoreless fourth and fifth innings, capped by a pair of strikeouts.
In the second game of the day, Carlson was masterful from the opening pitch. She allowed only three hits through the first five innings of play. She even helped her own cause in the third when a ball was hit right back at her and she turned the 1-6-3 double play with runners on the corners.
Offensively, Auburn was held in check for the first three frames, but found life in the fourth.
Fagan once again reached base with a leadoff hit. One batter later, Shea worked a full count before tattooing her second homer of the day - a two-run blast - to break the deadlock and give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Auburn rounded out its scoring output in the next inning. Victoria Draper drew a walk and Wallace reached on an error. Cooper then belted a single that bounced to the wall and cleared the bases, earning the Tigers a 4-0 margin.
James Madison (11-2) put runners on in the sixth and seventh stanzas, but Carlson was able to push through and guide Auburn to its fifth straight shutout win and eight of the season.
The Tigers close out the Tiger Invitational Sunday when it plays James Madison at 1 p.m. The game has been dubbed as the annual Pink Game.
Proceeds from the Sunday Pink Game will benefit the Cancer Center of East Alabama. Pink ribbons and shirts will be supplied to fans who arrive early, while supplies last. There will also be a silent auction for a chance to buy the game-worn jerseys by the Tigers.