AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn continues its winning ways behind strong pitching performances from Chardonnay Harris and Lexie Handley as the Tigers defeated Eastern Illinois 6-0 and North Dakota State 10-2 in Saturday's slate of games in the Tiger Invitational.
"That's the thing, we want to get better every game," said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean. "I thought we played great defense. I thought Lexie did a great job and Chardonnay had 14 strikeouts. But hitting wise, I just thought we stayed within ourselves and that tells me we are where we need to be during the game."
Auburn (11-3) honored those battling ovarian cancer by wearing teal ribbons and warm-up jerseys stating "No One Fights Alone" on Saturday as part of the Tigers' "Strikeout Cancer Weekend."
Harris, a sophomore, improved to 2-0 on the season with a dominant pitching performance against Eastern Illinois. Harris struck out a career-high 14 batters — the third most in Auburn history behind a pair of Anna Thompson games (18 vs. Middle Tennessee on Feb. 20, 2009; 16 vs. Louisiana Tech on March 5, 2010). It was also Harris' first career complete game shutout.
"I made sure I got a good night's rest last night and I just made sure I came prepared today," Harris said. "This game meant a lot to not only myself but a lot of other people, so I just wanted to show out for my teammates."
Taylon Snow and Kendall Veach powered the offense against the Panthers, both driving in two runs each. Casey McCrackin and Morgan Podany finished out the scoring for the Tigers, driving in a run apiece.
Handley earned her second career victory as an Auburn Tiger against the Bison. In addition to Handley's strong performance in the circle, Auburn's bats were hot as well. Tannon Snow led the Tigers by driving in four runs on two hits. Tay. Snow and McCrackin each drove in two as Auburn run-ruled the Bison. McCrackin extended her on-base streak to a career-high 27, which leads the team. Veach finished it off in the fifth, as she singled into left field clinching the victory in five innings.