Decatur, Ga. – Behind the productivity of a potent starting lineup, Auburn traveled across state lines into Georgia and knocked off Georgia State, 12-1, in five innings Wednesday afternoon.
"You can always tell when your team is willing to adjust and have good at bats by the people you put in off the bench," said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean. "If they immediately have a good at bat, then you know they're in tune with the game and the communication is extremely well when it comes to the offense."
No. 20 Auburn (23-4) started the offensive outburst in the top of the first inning when Alyssa Rivera brought home Taylon Snow and Casey McCrackin on a double that landed at the base of the center-field fence. Tannon Snow followed with her own double to bring home Rivera during the next at bat. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Bree Fornis scored Tan. Snow and capped the scoring for the inning.
Auburn scored a single run in the second, before plating five in the third to bust the game open. The Tigers added two more in the fifth on a McCrackin double and Haley Nillen single through the left side.
In the circle, Chardonnay Harris, who is coming off an 11-strikeout complete game against Michigan State over the weekend, got the start and went three perfect innings. Harris (4-0) struck out six of the nine batters she faced, before being lifted for Ashlee Swindle to start the fourth.
Georgia State's only offensive production came during a three-batter stretch during the fourth with a walk followed by back-to-back singles to score the Panthers' lone run.
"My level of confidence is way up," said Harris on her performance. "I just made sure I got my 0-2 pitches where they needed to be in order to setup the hitter for the next pitch."
Auburn returns to action Friday, March 15 at 6:00 p.m. when the Tigers open Southeastern Conference play with a three-game weekend series against Texas A&M.