March 12, 2017 AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 2 Auburn softball team won its SEC opening series after splitting results in a doubleheader Sunday afternoon. Auburn (22-3, 2-1 SEC) fell to No. 12 LSU (19-6, 1-2) 8-0 in the first game before rebounding to win 5-4 in the series finale at Jane B. Moore Field.
"You put the pressure on the other team to go out and make plays," said head coach Clint Myers. "If you put the ball on the ground, they've got to field it, they've got to throw it and they've got to catch it, and you've got a chance at beating it out.
"We came out and talked about what we needed to do. They listened and they responded well."
Carlee Wallace led the way at the plate with four hits on the afternoon. Haley Fagan, Morgan Podany and Kendall Veach each contributed a pair of base knocks, while Kasey Cooper reached base five times via four walks and a hit by pitch.
Kaylee Carlson improved her record on the season to 13-0, with Makayla Martin and Ashlee Swindle also seeing action in the circle.
In the first game, LSU started fast by scoring five runs in the opening three frames, including three by RBI singles.
Auburn put runners on by way of three hits, including two by Podany, and three walks, but went 0-for-10 with runners on base in the contest.
LSU extended its lead to 8-0 on a three-run home run in the top of the sixth.
Auburn was unable to plate a run and the game came to a close with the road team leveling the series at one game apiece.
Martin got the nod in the circle and had one strikeout in four stanzas of work. Swindle made her conference debut and also struck out one across two innings.
After a brief break, Auburn found its footing at the plate in the second game.
The home team loaded up the bases behind a Wallace double, Cooper walk and Fagan single, respectively. Veach then stepped to the dish and smacked a two-run single to left, giving Auburn a 2-0 lead.
Carlson matched the offense's hot start by retiring nine of the opening 11 batters, including the first seven she faced, to keep Auburn ahead 2-0 through three innings.
In the top of the fifth, LSU took over the lead behind a three-run, four-hit stanza that featured two extra-base hits.
The lead did not last long as Auburn got a two-run double from Fagan on a full count that scored Cooper and Bree Fornis, who was pinch-running for Wallace after a single.
LSU knotted the game back up at 4-4 in the top half of the seventh with a single that scored a run.
With the game tied in the bottom of the seventh, Wallace singled through the right side to get things started. Cooper drew a walk and advanced to second on a fielder's choice that got the lead out at third base with two outs.
Veach then put a one-strike pitch into play that was thrown away by the LSU third baseman. A heads up Cooper took advantage of the miscue and scored on the play to end the game and give Auburn the series with a 5-4 result in the finale.
Auburn closed its longest homestand in program history and will hit the road for 14 games away from Jane B. Moore Field, beginning with a non-conference duel with Tennessee Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in Columbia, Tenn.
