May 27, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 8 Auburn softball team concluded its season after falling to No. 6 Oklahoma 5-2 Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Super Regional at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers wrap up the 2017 campaign with a 49-12 record.
"I have no real words to say other than the fact that I felt that we were a better team than what we played," said head coach Clint Myers. "I think we underachieved. I'm disappointed as the girls are too because I thought our season would be prolonged. We got beat by a very good Oklahoma team. They didn't make mistakes and we did, and when you're playing good teams you can't make mistakes."
Related Links
Auburn tallied four hits in the seven-inning affair. Casey McCrackin provided the pop in the lineup with a solo home run, while Kasey Cooper, Victoria Draper and Courtney Shea notched singles.
Kaylee Carlson, who ended the year tied for the single-season program record with 27 wins, tossed her 21st complete game of the season. The junior allowed six hits and struck out three in her final start of 2017.
Oklahoma (56-9), the designated home team, opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer.
The Tigers responded in the top of the third when McCrackin unleashed her fourth home run of the season and third in her last 21 at-bats over the wall in left field. Draper followed that up with a single and nearly scored on a shot from Cooper that just missed clearing the fence and was caught by the Sooner outfielder.
In the fifth, Draper reached on a throwing error and advanced to second with two outs. Cooper then took a 2-1 pitch and flared an RBI single to left to cut the deficit to one.
Oklahoma tacked on two more runs in the home half of the sixth inning from a run-scoring single and a double steal.
Auburn put a baserunner on in the seventh from a single by Shea, but she was stranded and the Tigers' season came to a close with a 5-2 defeat.
"For the seniors that are leaving I feel bad," stated Myers. "Personally, I wanted the season to end for the seniors in Oklahoma City. When we get out here in August and we start working out, that's the goal. You can't play for a championship unless you're at Oklahoma City that first week of June. So, for them I feel bad that we did not achieve that part of it. I still believe that this is a good team."