AuburnFamilyNews.com: Auburn Softball vs Missouri Series Recap: After Friday night troubles, Auburn takes series

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Auburn Softball vs Missouri Series Recap: After Friday night troubles, Auburn takes series

It was stressful for a bit, but Auburn gets the series W.

The Friday night game certainly didn't go the way Auburn fans hoped, but the Tigers got back on track with Saturday and Sunday's wins. They were particularly encouraging with Makayla Martin's pitching Saturday night and the Tigers' run-scoring Sunday afternoon.

Game 1: 1-6 Missouri

Things went about as badly for Auburn as they possibly could in this one. The Auburn Tigers got on the board first with a Kasey Cooper solo home run, but that was all the Tigers could muster for the game. The Missouri Tigers hit Kaylee Carlson hard and gave her only her second loss of the year when they scored 6 runs in this one. Auburn had a chance to get back in it in the 7th inning when they loaded the bases. A swing of the bat could have brought it within 1 run, but it wasn't to be. The bad Tigers came out on top in this one. It marked Auburn's first home loss to an unranked team since Clint Myers' first year on the Plains.

Game 2: 5-4 Auburn

Things weren't looking too hot in Game 2, either, as Mizzou jumped out to the early lead 3-0 by the 4th inning. That's when Carlee Wallace saved the game - and possibly Auburn's season. With three runners on, Wallace cleared the bases with a triple. She then scored on a wild pitch to give Auburn the 5-4 lead in the Bottom of the 4th.

Haley Fagan added a much-needed insurance run in the Bottom of the 6th on a single that scored Victoria Draper. Mizzou would put runners on in the Bottom of the 7th and threaten to tie the game, but Auburn was able to work their way out of the jam getting the final out in a run-down after the 4th Mizzou run had scored. The Good Tigers were able to salvage game 2 and send this one to Sunday as a rubber match.

Game 3: Auburn 6-1

Kaylee Carlson got back to her usual ways Sunday afternoon as she shut down Missouri's hitters all afternoon. The Tigers, meanwhile, finally got some run production at the plate. It started with Haley Fagan singling home Victoria Draper in the 3rd inning. Draper's speed was a big part of that as she scored from second on the single.

The Tigers really got things going in the 5th. The Tigers got three on board with only one out and then Alyssa Rivera continued her hot-hitting ways scoring Draper and Bree Fornis on a single. A slumping Kendall Veach then stepped up the plate and broke out of her slump in a big way, hitting a triple and clearing the bases to bring the score to 6-0.

Mizzou got one back in the bottom half of the 5th as Cayla Kessinger hit a leadoff solo home run. That was all they could manage in that frame, though. Carlson would shut them down again in the bottom of the 7th to close out the game and the series.

Way Forward

After Friday night's thrashing, finishing the weekend off in this manner was huge for Auburn. Missouri isn't a great team, but they could still make it into the post-season. Almost every SEC team could make it into the post-season, to be honest.

Auburn will play a home "mid-week" game against Kennesaw State tomorrow night. They'll then go on the road to Columbia, S.C. to take on the Gamecocks next weekend. There are just three SEC series remaining with the biggest the final series of the year against Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Clint Myers said it best after last night's win. This team isn't winning the way they're capable of, but they are still winning. A lot. If they can get everything together - and Makayla Martin's performance Saturday night could be a sign of things coming together - then this team could still make a lot of noise on the way back to Oklahoma City. The upcoming weekends against South Carolina and Mississippi State before Alabama could really set the state of things for the post-season.



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