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Championship losses land most painful blows for diehard fans

By David McKinney | Assistant Sports Editor | April 9

“Elation” is a word often used surrounding championships. The “elation a team feels.” “The elation a championship brings to the town of the team.” Thesaurus.com gives four words as antonyms for elation: depression, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness. The image of Wisconsin fans on State street Monday night following the Badgers’ 68-63 defeat at the hands of Duke in the final of the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball tournament showed these. The Badgers doled out those same feelings the previous Saturday, April 4, handing Kentucky their first, and fatal, loss of the season in the final four. 40-0, a perfect season, what seemed to be an unattainable dream, right at their fingertips, crushed by a band of sharpshooters, who had their own championship aspirations put to rest not three days later by Mike Krzyzewski, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. Following losses like these, fans get emotional, sometimes downright irrational, and things can get out of hand. Riots break out, people are injured, couches, especially those that sit in Lexington, are set ablaze as some sort of furniture sacrifice to the basketball gods who have wronged the Wildcat faithful in hopes of more merciful blessings the following year. Sports fans are one of, if not the, most delusional groups on Earth. I — and I assure you that nobody who is familiar with me would argue with this — am in upper echelon of the delusional. I invested in sports far too early.

Burgreen comes up big, preserves 4-2 win over Georgia State

By Sam Butler | Sports Writer | April 8

On a muggy April night, swarms of insects rampaged through Plainsman Park, causing commotion wherever they flew. But at the end of the night, it was Jackson Burgreen who had everyone buzzing. Burgreen might’ve not been a huge part of the lineup for most of the season after breaking his finger in a win over Xavier early in March, but Wednesday night, March 8, he made the biggest play of the game in Auburn’s 4-2 win over Georgia State. With the Tigers leading 4-2 in the ninth and one Georgia State runner on, Caden Bailey made a dead-on connection with a Dalton Rentz pitch, launching it deep into left-center field.

Softball tops UAB for second time this season

April 8

Before heading off to College Station this weekend, the Tigers hosted UAB at home for their second match this season and took their second victory against the Blazers Wednesday afternoon, April 8. Two major back-to-back plays for Kelsey Bogaards at short, and a catch from Branndi Melero ended a quick and easy first half inning on defense. The Tigers had a rough start at bat as Tiffany Howard’s hit was caught for an out, and Emily Carosone suffered a pitch to the back, but Kasey Cooper stepped up to drill one over the fence, making her fifteenth homerun. The two runs from Cooper’s homerun hit would be the only ones the Tigers would plate in the first. “I wouldn’t say we struggled,” coach Clint Myers said.

​Auburn wins both matches in Tuesday’s double-header

By Patrick Lucas | Sports Writer | April 8

Auburn’s 44th ranked women’s tennis team hosted Alabama A&M on Tuesday, April 7, in the middle of SEC play, and the Tigers won both matches handily. Auburn won the first match 7-0 and the second 5-0. Juniors Pleun Burgmans and Michala Kuchurova’s win 6-1 on court one was enough to earn Auburn the doubles point. In singles, Burgmans won 6-2, 6-3 on court one while Kuchurova won by default on court six. Andie Dikosavljevic, Auburn’s court two freshman, won 6-0, 6-2.

​Position battles wage on as spring practice continues

By David McKinney | Assistant Sports Editor | April 8

Nobody on Auburn’s offense has been named a starter yet, at least according to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. The most high profile position race is undoubtedly at quarterback, where Jeremy Johnson is expected to take the reins, but Lashlee said that the coaching staff still isn’t ready to name the official starter. “Jeremy and Sean (White) have been solid,” Lashlee said.

Smith looks to contribute anywhere he can

By David McKinney | Assistant Sports Editor | April 7

Quarterback -turned-receiver Jason Smith is the type of football player a coach wants on the field. He’s a versatile speedster who can play multiple positions, and can be a great asset to a quick-running offense like Gus Malzahn’s. Smith said that since he’s moved to wide out, he’s looking to make an impact on the field in any way he can. Smith said that at some point in the fall, he expects to be used in a wildcat type package at quarterback, where he says he can swing the momentum toward the Tigers. “Every time I touch the ball I think about breaking it,” Smith said.

Auburn tennis Senior Day ends in a close loss

By Patrick Lucas | Sports Writer | April 7

Auburn’s men’s tennis team hosted No. 25 LSU on Sunday, April 5, for the Tigers' final home match of the season.

Melero named SEC Co-Player of the Week

April 6

With her homerun against no. 11 Tennessee this weekend to clutch the win for the Tigers, senior Branndi Melero claims the co-player of the week title alongside Bailey Landry of LSU. Melero is known for her strength in the batter’s box and her efficiency on defense as right fielder. She falls into the five-hits-or-more club in this weekend’s series next to Kasey Cooper and Morgan Estell, and is credited for seven homeruns this season alone. Melero stands with 39 RBI for a .348 average, making her no.

Auburn baseball offense falters in 6-4 loss, Tigers drop series to Arkansas

By Sam Butler | Sports Writer | April 5

After evening up the series Saturday night, April 4, the Auburn Tigers felt that Sunday’s game, April 5, and by extension the series, was a must-win. On Easter Auburn let two leads squander away—one late in the game—and fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks 6-4, dropping the series in the process. Up 3-2 after six strong innings from Rocky McCord, the Tigers looked to be in good position to win.

Auburn dominates at Tiger Track Classic

By CJ Holmes | Sports Writer | April 5

Auburn track and field impressed Saturday, April 4, at Hutsell-Rosen Track, tallying 10 wins as the Tiger Track classic came to a close. Senior Samantha Scarlett finished first among collegiate competitors in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.35.

Gymnastics breaks regional record, advances to nationals

April 4

No. 8 gymnastics performed above and beyond in front of a full house Saturday night, April 4, during the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in the Auburn Arena. The team totaled 196.900 overall, smashing the record for the highest regional total in the program’s history. “We talked all day about, ‘You have to fight for everything you get here,'” said head coach Jeff Graba.

Auburn wins 3-2 in second game of three against the Razorbacks

By Patrick Lucas | Sports Writer | April 4

The baseball team hosted SEC rival Arkansas Saturday, April 4, in the second of a three-game weekend series. Following the close loss to the Razorbacks on Friday, April 3, the Tigers won 3-2 in a close game that was decided in the bottom of the ninth inning. “I’m just proud of all of our guys, not just Keegan [Thompson], “ said head coach Sunny Golloway.

Melero homerun secures Auburn softball win over Tennessee

April 4

In the second straight sold out game of the season, the Tigers headed into the third and final match of the Tennessee series 1-1. Auburn had a shaky start as the Vols brought in 6 runs in a two-outs rally in the first inning.

'Nothing stood out negatively' in Saturday’s scrimmage for offense

April 4

Expectations are higher than ever for the offense this season with the loss of key players. However, the offense fell to the newly reconstructed defense in regards to evident progress and overall plays made in Saturday’s scrimmage. Although Gus Malzahn said the offense wasn’t moving in a negative direction, there weren’t any plays that stood out as anything spectacular.

Defense bests offense in Saturday scrimmage

By Eric Wallace | Sports Writer | April 4

“The defense probably got the best of the offense today,” Malzahn said. “There were probably more big hits than in any of the scrimmages we’ve had up to this point.”

Tigers drop heartbreaker to Razorbacks in series opener

By Derek Thompson | Sports Reporter | April 3

Auburn (18-12, 3-7 SEC) baseball lost its first of a three-game SEC series 10-7 this weekend after a back and forth battle with the Arkansas Razorbacks (15-4, 4-6 SEC) Friday, April 3, at Plainsman Park. “It’s just a tough loss for Friday night,” said coach Sunny Golloway.

Softball falls to Tennessee in second series game

April 3

Auburn softball fell to no. 11 Tennessee, 8-6 in its second match of the weekend’s three-game series after a nail-biting finish Friday, April 3, at home. The loss broke the team’s spotless home-field record of 21-0 for the 2015 season. The Vols took the lead in the first half-inning with a homerun by Gretchen Aucoin after Tiffany Howard’s first left field catch of three total throughout the game. At bat, the Tigers couldn’t muster a run, and gave the inning to Tennessee, 1-0. The Tigers wouldn’t respond until the bottom of the second with Jade Rhodes’ sixteenth career homerun this season, tying the game 1-1. In the third, Emily Carosone’s hit merely missed the right-field wall and gave her a double, bringing in Tiffany Howard for another point on the board. Kasey Cooper then nailed a pitch to center field for a single that allowed Carosone to plate another run, giving Auburn their first lead of the game, 3-1. The Tigers didn’t hold on to the lead for long, when Tennessee’s Scarlet McSwain nailed one over the fence to plate three for the Vols. No response came from the Tigers directly after at bat as Auburn headed into the fifth trailing by one, 4-3. Although the Tigers held Tennessee on defense in the fifth with Lexi Davis on the mound, opposing pitcher Rainey Gaffin dished out three straight strikeouts to Howard, Carosone and Cooper. “We knew coming in what she threw,” said coach Clint Myers.

Auburn fails to beat the 8th ranked Aggies

By Patrick Lucas | Sports Writer | April 3

Auburn’s men’s tennis team traveled to College Station, Texas, on Friday, April 3, to play the highly ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Tigers played strongly, but fell 4-0 in their third top ten match-up of the season. Auburn fell in doubles despite winning on court one.