For the second straight year, the Oklahoma Sooners have ended Auburn's softball season.
Two runs were not enough for the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Jane. B Moore field, as the defending National Champions earned a 5-2 victory. With the win, the Sooners have advanced to the Women’s College World Series, and Auburn has been eliminated.
"I have no real words to say other than I thought we had a better team that how we played. I think we underachieved," Auburn head coach Clint Myers said. "I’m disappointed, and our 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, we did."
The Sooner bats came alive in the in the second inning when Nicole Pendley hit a three-run, no-doubter over the right field wall to give Oklahoma a 3-0 lead.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers would battle back.
Casey McCrackin got things started for Auburn with a solo shot to left field. Auburn continued to battle into the 5th inning, when a Kasey Cooper double scored Victoria Draper to cut the lead to 3-2.
It was not enough.
The Tigers had their chances, but could not hold off the Sooners. For the second straight day, the Sooners scored late runs to put Auburn away. In the sixth inning, a Pendley single and double-steal plated two more Sooner runs to extend the lead to 5-2.
Auburn’s Ace Kasey Carlson was in the circle for the Tigers. After giving up three early runs, Carlson did not allow another Sooner run until the Sooners sixth inning rally. The right-handed junior threw six innings, while giving up five runs and striking out three.
Four Auburn seniors, including three time All-American Kasey Cooper, played in their last game in an Auburn uniform.
"When I was a kid, everybody wanted to go to Bama. Now girls are starting to come to Auburn," Cooper said. "It’s so rewarding. I’m proud of this program. It’s grown a lot."
The Super Regional loss ends the Tigers season, and is the first time in three seasons that Auburn will not be making the trip to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma is advancing to the WCWS for the 11th time in program history.
“I personally wanted the season to end, for the seniors, in Oklahoma City, Myers said. "When we get out here in August, that’s the goal, because you can’t play for a championship unless you’re in Oklahoma City that first week of June. So for them, I feel bad, because we did not achieve that part of it. I still believe that this is a good team. It’s just that we did not execute like we were a good team.”
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