April 28, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Kaylee Carlson tossed a complete game and Victoria tallied two hits to send Auburn to a 4-2 win against Mississippi State Friday night. The Tigers (41-8, 13-6 SEC) notched their ninth win in the last 12 contests against the Bulldogs (34-16, 8-11) in front of 2,140 fans.
"There was pretty good energy in the dugout and there was great energy in the stands," said head coach Clint Myers. "We're moving in the right direction."
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Carlson earned her SEC-leading 23rd win of 2017 and struck out six in the complete game. The junior moved into a tie for fourth with Beth DiPietro (2005) for most wins in a single season in Auburn history.
Draper's two hits took care of half the offense in the seven-inning fixture. Whitney Jordan and Courtney Shea capped the hit total with a double and single, respectively. Jordan crossed the plate a game-high two times.
The visitors opened the scoring in the top of the third with a two-run home run after an error to take a 2-0 lead.
Mississippi State's lead did not last long as Auburn matched the production in the home half of the third.
Jordan got the frame going with a two-base hit down the chalk in left. With two outs, Draper legged out an infield single and advanced Jordan to third. Back-to-back walks from Kasey Cooper and Carlee Wallace brought in the first run.
Alyssa Rivera then put a ball into play that was mishandled and scored Draper from third to knot the game back up at 2-2.
The Tigers tacked on two runs in the fourth to take the lead at 4-2. Shea laced a single through the right side and was then ran for by Bree Fornis. Consecutive walks via Jordan and Jenna Abbott set up a bases loaded situation for the top of the order.
Draper took advantage by notching a single and drew an errant throw, putting her on second and scoring Fornis. Auburn led 4-2 at that point and that was all that was required for Carlson.
The Garden Grove, Calif. native sent down nine of the final 11 batters to guide the Tigers to the victory.
The two teams resume the series Saturday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the SEC Network+, 95.9 FM and the official Auburn app.