Auburn softball took the 7-4 victory against South Alabama after more than three hours of play Sunday afternoon, May 17, advancing the Tigers to the first NCAA Super Regionals in program history.
“I believe that this team can go as far as they want to go,” coach Clint Myers said. “They’re very talented, they’re not afraid of hard work. It’s them controlling their own emotions and their own efforts and them controlling their own outcomes. It was a great day.”
Auburn didn’t have to wait long for their first hit when Kasey Cooper nailed a center field single to top the first inning. Cooper was able to advance to third off steals and a walk to Branndi Melero, but Carlee Wallace grounded to first and left the two stranded.
In the circle, Lexi Davis helped to end the first inning quickly, when she executed a pitch to Emily Messer, who slammed it to Cooper’s glove at third.
After defense allowed two Jaguars to reach base, Cooper snagged another line drive and eyed Jade Rhodes at first for the double play.
Starting the second off strong, Haley Fagan proved the competitive side she’s been talking about with a double to the center field wall that she celebrated with the Tigers’ dugout.
Soon after, Rhodes and Whitney Jordan drew walks and it was bases loaded.
After struggling to find a good pitch, Tiffany Howard was struck by one, pushing Fagan to home for Auburn’s first run, taking the lead 1-0.
A strikeout and two tagged bases later, the Tigers were back in the batter’s box.
Looking to keep the runs coming, Melero kicked off the lineup in the third, but it was Wallace who would reach base first with a single to center field.
Wallace then headed for home when Morgan Estell nailed a liner to left field on two outs, but she panicked and started back to the base. Losing her shoe in the process, she was tagged out and the half inning ended with no runs for the Tigers.
The Tigers’ second run came from Cooper’s line drive off the second baseman’s glove to score Jordan, stretching the score to 2-0 for another one-run inning.
“We’re better than what we did at the plate,” Myers said. “We just have to go out and execute it, but today was clearly a step forward.”
As South Alabama attempted to slide in to home, Amanda Minahan collided with Wallace, knocking her out momentarily.
Estell raced to Wallace’s side and didn’t move until she was taken care of.
“It is scary because that’s another sister," Estell said. "You don’t want to see anybody hurt. She wasn’t moving, I mean it just scared me. As soon as I realized she was talking I was like ‘OK, we’re good now.’”
After a scary few minutes for the Tigers, Wallace was carted off the field, and the run was counted.
Wallace returned to the dugout to watch her team win, and Myers said she received the thumbs up from her doctors.
After a half-hour delay of discussion between Myers and the officials, the call stood.
Now back in position with one out, South Alabama rounded two more runs to take the lead, 3-2, prompting a pitching change to Rachael Walters.
After a walk, the Jaguars brought in one more before the fourth was over.
Trailing behind by two, Fagan stepped in for a single followed by a break in Rhodes’ 0-23 slump for a huge wall hit that stretched her to third and brought in Fagan for one.
“I knew that just putting the ball in play was going to do something for my team,” Rhodes said. “I just wanted to get it out of the infield and make a play out of the ball.”
Jenna Abbott then took first after being struck by a pitch, and with Tigers in both corners, Howard sent a single up a gap in right field to score Rhodes and tie the game at 4-4.
But that wasn’t it for Auburn. Emily Carosone stepped up to nail a double to the right, and the Tigers plated two more to take their second lead of the game, 6-4.
This prompted a pitching change for South Alabama, which fed Cooper a short hit to the glove of third base to end the top of the fifth.
On defense, Cooper caught her third line drive of the afternoon, nearly making an unassisted double play for the second out. Fagan ended the inning with a catch in mid field.
“The key to winning the game was to win it for Carlee (Wallace),” Cooper said. “After the incident at home plate, we were playing for her. We just needed to control and contain (South Alabama) that inning and we told Rachael (Walters), ‘You get us out of this inning … we will win for you.’”
With three walks loading the bases for the Tigers, Rhodes made it four, and pitch runner Sydney Waldrop walked in for Auburn’s seventh run of the game.
Defense defended the lead in the bottom of the sixth, and the Tigers headed into the final inning on top.
Three outs away from a first NCAA Regional Final win, the Tigers got the job done with no time to waste and grabbed their ticket to the Super Regional.
Auburn will stay at Jane B. Moore Field as host for the Super Regional starting Thursday, May 21.
“It’s very exciting, this is something that Auburn has never done before,” Carosone said.
Cooper said the team has endless potential.
“Sky’s the limit,” Cooper said.
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