Auburn sweeps Mississippi State on a historic Senior Day

After clinching the series win in dramatic fashion with a walk-off grand slam on Saturday night, Auburn came into Senior Day looking to complete the sweep. The ninth ranked Tigers managed to do so with a hot start and solid defensive play, defeating Mississippi State by a score of 6-3.

Kasey Cooper got things rolling for the Tigers in the bottom of the 1^st, when she swung at the first pitch she saw and smashed a two-run homerun over the centerfield wall. It was a historic swing for Cooper, as she became the SEC’s all-time RBI leader. She is also one of only two players in SEC history to have over 250 career hits and 250 career RBIs. After some early season struggles, she is heating up as the season begins to come to a close. Cooper said she feels “like a new self. I hate that it came now, but I’m happy it came… we’re all starting to click.” She ended with 3 RBIs on the day, putting her career total at 266.

Makayla Martin and Haley Fagan returned to the starting lineup and were met with thundering applause as their names were announced. Both got some action early, with Makayla Martin striking out the first batter she saw and Fagan making a fantastic defensive play immediately after.

Martin ended her solid outing with 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, and 4 Ks. Kaylee Carlson came on in relief to close out the game in the top of the 7^th, allowing no hits in the inning.

All of Auburn’s runs came in the first two innings, with three runs being scored in each. That was all Martin and the Tiger defense needed. They locked down the Bulldogs and made play after play, not allowing a run until the 4^th inning. The Tigers also managed to turn 2 double plays on the day, giving them 43 on the year, a program record.

MSU looked to put a dent into the lead in the top of the 6^th, when they managed to load the bases with zero outs. However, stellar defensive play managed to keep the Bulldogs from doing too much damage, and State was only able to manage two runs in the inning.

After the game, Auburn’s five seniors were honored in front of a sell-out crowd. The senior crew, which includes 3-time All-American Kasey Cooper, Haley Fagan, Jenna Abbot, Sydney Waldrop, and Madi Gipson, won a total of 198 games in their time at Auburn. They were also a part of back-to-back College World Series runs, and look to make it back for a third time this year.

Carlee Wallace left the game in the bottom of the 1^st after an awkward slide into second caused her helmet to bust open her face. However, Coach Myers said, “It doesn’t seem to serious, and she should be back at practice on Tuesday.”

Auburn moves to 43-8 (15-6 SEC) on the season, and will travel to Tuscaloosa this coming weekend. The first game of the series will be played on Friday, May 5^th, at 6 pm CST.