Following the indefinite suspension of typical game two pitcher Makayla Martin, the Auburn Tigers turned to freshman Ashlee Swindle on Saturday afternoon against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Jasper, Ala. native’s gem guided the No. 7 Tigers to victory in her first collegiate start, downing USC with a 2-0 shutout in Colombia.
South Carolina runners were unable to advance past first base against Swindle, (1-0) as the freshman rifled 14 first-pitch strikes and two total strikeouts on the day.
“I was just really nervous, but excited at the same time,” Swindle said. “I had all the [coaching] staff telling me just to trust myself and let my defense work.”
Ace Kaylee Carlson (22-2), the Friday night winner in the circle, came in the fifth inning to record her second save of 2017.
Centerfielder Victoria Draper, who received the nod at the leadoff spot for the weekend, kicked off the Auburn offense in the opening inning. Following a Draper single and a Carlee Wallace walk, the bases were loaded with no outs. Catcher Courtney Shea then forced Draper home from third with a walk to score the first run of the day.
Sophomore Kendall Veach topped off the Auburn side of the scoreboard in the fourth inning with a solo shot, adding to her team-high of 11 home runs of the season. The Tigers batted in only five hits to South Carolina’s two, however.
The Gamecock offense mustered only two hits against Swindle, as the freshman came out of the gates scorching, retiring nine of the first ten batters faced.
The Tigers and Gamecocks return to the diamond on Sunday for game three, as Auburn looks to record their second conference sweep of the season. Auburn (39-7, 12-5 SEC) records their fifth SEC series victory of the year with the win, dropping South Carolina to 27-20 overall and 3-13 in conference play.
The first pitch from Beckham Field in Colombia on Sunday is set for 11 a.m. CST, as Carlson will receive the nod in the circle.
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