The Auburn softball team is returning to the NCAA Super Regional for the third consecutive year. The Tigers beat Cal 8-2 Sunday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field to secure their 12th win in three years of NCAA post season play.
While ace Kaylee Carlson (27-4) was dominant once again allowing just one run in four innings and reliever Makayla Martin got her second save of the season, the real story were the Tiger bats.
The offense has struggled at times this season but seems to have broken out at the right moment blasting 31 hits in the last two games. The Tigers (49-10) had 16 hits in Sundays final including four straight to begin the game. Cal (32-23) could only muster two runs: one each in the third and sixth on a wild pitch and a bases loaded double play.
The Tigers hit .429 with an Auburn player on base and .455 with runners in scoring position. Eight Tigers had hits and five drove in runs. Kasey Cooper led the Tiger barage going 4-for-4 with a home run and Haley Fagan had 3 hits and a homer.
“We’ve been talking about putting all the pieces together,” coach Clint Myers said. “Offensively we’re very happy, but we did a better job of situational hitting. We ran the bases well; we turned two double plays, which were huge for us.” It was the Tigers ninth-straight victory in NCAA Regional play.
Auburn will have to wait till after the Norman Regional Final is played today to know who they will be facing in the Super Regional. Rain delays pushed the game between Oklahoma (52-10) and Tulsa (41-16) to 12 noon CT. The Sooners staved off elimination Sunday with a 6-4 win over Tulsa and must play the Golden Hurricanes again today.
A Sooner win would set up a rematch of last year’s Women’s College World Series finals which was played in Oklahoma City. But this series will be held on Tiger soil since Auburn, as the No. 7 National Seed, will host the Super Regional.
Coach Myers sounded confident after the game, “We’re getting solid pitching in the circle, so, Auburn softball is playing well. We’ve just got to keep it going through Supers and into the College World Series.”
The post Auburn Softball Is Super Once Again! – (Tigers Sweep Regional) appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.
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