March 26, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - No. 11 Auburn softball completed a very successful four-game home stand defeating Alabama State in a midweek contest before turning around to sweep the weekend series with No. 19 Kentucky.
The Tigers got things started Wednesday night with a 22-0 rout over the Alabama State Hornets. It is Auburn's largest margin of victory since defeating Arkansas 23-0 on April 16, 2016. Chardonnay Harris picked up her third win of the season as she tossed the minimum 3.0 innings in a perfect performance.
Auburn then played host to the 19th-ranked Wildcats and swept the series by scores of 6-5, 1-0 and 6-4. It was the first time the Tigers swept a ranked SEC opponent at home since April 2016 vs. No. 13 Georgia.
When all was said and done, the Tigers emerged from the week at 31-6, 5-4 in SEC play and improved their record to 24-1 at games played at Jane B. Moore Field
Key Performers
- Kaylee Carlson was outstanding in the series vs. Kentucky as she went toe-to-toe with Wildcats starter Autumn Humes in Saturday's 1-0 pitcher's duel victory. The senior from Garden Grove, Calif. tossed a career-high 12.0 innings allowing just five hits while tallying five strikeouts. The right-hander dropped her ERA to a stout 0.62, which is the fourth-lowest in the nation. Carlson also picked up her second save of the season in the series opener.
- Victoria Draper made history over the weekend as she stole her 34th base of the season in the Kentucky series opener breaking the Auburn single-season stolen base record. She finished a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts to extend her national lead to 35.
- Makenna Dowell entered the week with just four hits on the season (4-for-23), but exploded this week batting a robust .444 (4-for-9) to lead the team. The freshman shortstop batted .429 against Kentucky alone (3-for-7) with two doubles.
- The long ball played a big part of Auburn's success over the weekend as the Tigers tallied six total dingers. Justus Perry broke free of her recent slump by becoming the first player in program history to hit two homeruns in the same inning, doing so in the third inning vs. Alabama State. Tannon Snow hit one of the most memorable bombs of the season to walk-off against Kentucky on Saturday in the 12th inning. Casey McCrackin, Courtney Shea and Alyssa Rivera all went yard as well.
- Casey McCrackin finished the week 4-for-12 at the plate (.333) including belting her team-leading sixth homer of the season. The junior also came up huge defensively as she finished with 14 putouts at second base over the Kentucky series.
- Chardonnay Harris was perfect in her 3.0 innings pitched against Alabama State as she picked up her third win of the season (3-2). The freshman also made her first career SEC start in Sunday's finale vs. the Wildcats.
On Deck for the Tigers
- Auburn will now turn their attention towards Oxford, Miss. where they will play another weekend series Friday through Sunday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The Rebels are coming off a 2-1 series loss to Alabama and enter the contest at 16-12, 2-7 SEC.