In the top of the first inning, just minutes after the first pitch was tossed by Kaylee Carlson on Friday night, LSU’s Sahvanna Jaquish hammered a two-run home run to open up the scoring at Jane B. Moore Field. The homer was only the second allowed by second-ranked Auburn this season and it was the first of 2017 for Carlson.
LSU snagged a 2-0 lead early and snatched the momentum from the home Tigers. It took an irregular series of events to swing the energy back in favor of the blue and orange.
Auburn centerfielder Victoria Draper grounded out to first in the bottom of the third inning, but it was called back due to an illegal pitch. The fleet-footed redshirt junior made the most of her second chance at the plate, logging Auburn’s first hit with a single, shifting momentum.
Auburn would deliver a trio of runs and a trio of hits in the third inning to take the lead, 3-2 and would eventually capture their first SEC victory of the year, 5-4 over the No. 12 LSU Tigers.
The two Tiger squads exchanged leads three times in the back-and-forth conference opener. LSU first baseman Sydney Springfield smashed a solo home run just an inning after Auburn’s scoring frenzy to tie the game at three. A Haley Fagan error would bring home LSU’s fourth and final run in the top of the fifth.
Down 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Auburn sophomore Kendall Veach blasted an RBI double that barely tip-toed the left field line to tie the game. An LSU error followed shortly behind to bring Courtney Shea home for Auburn’s go-ahead and game-winning score.
“We told the freshmen, ‘Welcome to the SEC,’” Myers said. “It’s two teams that have been to the College World Series, are perennial in the wins side and again, tomorrow is going to be another battle. It’s probably going to be a one-run game.”
LSU (18-5, 0-1 SEC) came into the contest as the eighth-best team in the country in terms of batting average, while Auburn (21-2, 1-0 SEC) entered with the nation’s best combined pitching ERA. LSU still leads the all-time series against Auburn, 47-18, but Auburn now holds a 6-3 advantage over LSU since Clint Meyers’ arrival on the Plains.
LSU’s Sydney Smith allowed all five of Auburn’s runs in four innings, before being replaced by Carley Hoover in the bottom of the fifth. Auburn junior Kaylee Carlson pitched all seven innings, allowing five hits, four runs and delivering three strikeouts. Carlson now moves to 12-0 on the year.
Through the nonconference schedule, it was Auburn’s Makayla Martin who typically worked in the circle in closer, lower scoring games. Carlson controlled much larger victories, in many of which the Tigers would eventually shorten the game by run-ruling their opponents.
“I wish I had a closer game before so I could be a little more prepared,” Carlson said. “My team did a great job. When we got behind, they were able to come back and get me in the lead every time.”
LSU jumped on Auburn fast with Jaquish’s home run in the opening inning. Carlson, who has been used to having a large lead at her back, adjusted, allowing only two runs in the remaining six innings.
“It’s frustrating when you warm up and feel good and then they hit that home run,” Carlson said. “The way my team responded built my energy back up. I knew they were out here working hard, so it was my turn to have their back. This is the SEC, so I have to be more careful than I was against previous teams.”
Veach predominantly paced the Auburn scoring, finishing 2 for 3 at the plate and batting in a pair of runners on the night. Fagan’s monster double, which came after Draper’s dramatics, kicked off the Auburn scoring in the third inning.
“She [Smith] is a great pitcher,” Fagan said. “They have a great pitching staff. But that second at-bat, I was determined to get on. She couldn’t have got me out if she had thrown a ball two feet outside. It didn’t matter if the bases were loaded or there was nobody on, I was going to get the job done.”
The Tiger teams will face off again Saturday night for game two, with the first pitch set for 7:30 p.m. CST at Jane B. Moore Field. Fans can watch the action live on the SEC Network. A series win for Auburn would notch Meyers’ 16th conference series victory with the Tigers.
“The crowd was the loudest in the seventh inning and the kids were feeding off it,” Meyers said. You should have seen the dugout. It was a great ballgame to watch and it was a great ballgame to play in.”
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