April 19, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Eight players recorded at least one hit to guide the No. 7 Auburn softball team to a 7-3 win against Kennesaw State Wednesday night. The Tigers (37-7) racked up 11 hits in the non-conference contest at Jane B. Moore Field.
"It was a good win and it's going to get us ready for South Carolina," said head coach Clint Myers. "We talked about it; every time they scored, we answered. That's good and that's important for teams to be able to do."
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Jenna Abbott, Alyssa Rivera and Courtney Shea combined to go 6-for-9, each with a pair of base knocks. Shea notched a team-high two RBI, while Abbott and Rivera chimed in one apiece.
Kasey Cooper, Casey McCrackin and Carlee Wallace rounded out the run production with one RBI each.
In the circle, Makayla Martin totaled three strikeouts in six innings of work. Kaylee Carlson also tossed one frame out of the bullpen to close out the game.
After one time through the order, Auburn broke the deadlock by scoring two runs in the home half of the third. Following a Victoria Draper single, Wallace and Rivera laced consecutive run-scoring doubles to put the Tigers on the board, 2-0.
Kennesaw State (31-14) knotted the game back up on a two-run single in the top of the fourth.
Shea put Auburn back on top for good when she launched a two-run shot over the wall in right to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
The Owls made things interesting in the top of the sixth with a one-out single that plated a run and put runners on the corners with one out. Martin, however, buckled down and induced back-to-back groundouts, including a fielder's choice in which Kendall Veach fired a throw home at get the runner trying to score on the play.
The Tigers yet again responded and put the contest out of reach in the bottom of the sixth. Veach and Shea opened the stanza with singles, respectively. Abbott then belted a double to right to bring in one and put ducks on the pond with zero outs.
McCrackin then laced a single to center to score another run. Next, Cooper got the job done with a sacrifice fly to left that scored a pinch-running Brittany Maresette to cap the scoring at 7-3.
Carlson slammed the door shut in the seventh to guide Auburn to its 37th win of the season.
The Tigers resume action Friday night when they open a three-game series at South Carolina. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT and can be streamed on the SEC Network+, 95.9 FM and the official Auburn app.