Softball splits in tourney

By: | Opelika Auburn News
Published: February 25, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Auburn softball team improved to 10-1 on the season with a split of two games in the final day of the UCF Tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers dropped the first game of the day to No. 12 Michigan, 9-0, but won the afternoon game against Birmingham Southern, 8-0. Michigan moved to 10-2 with the win and Birmingham Southern fell to 5-5 with the loss.

Freshman Lauren Schmalz (1-0) earned the win in game two by throwing six innings of shutout ball. Schmalz allowed just three hits and struck out six. Janira Santiago (2-3) took the loss after giving up eight runs, all earned, on 10 hits.

Senior Jorja Bell (2-for-3, 3 RBI) gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. With one out and Myesha Finney (single) at third and Katie Colton (single) at second, Bell singled to center to score both runners. Brittany Scott followed with a single to put runners at first and second.

Taryn Gray then laced a single to center that scored Bell and pushed the Auburn lead to 3-0. An intentional walk to Tatiana Fernandez loaded the bases for Kyndall White (2-for-3, 3 RBI), who drove the ball into the gap in right-center for a base-clearing triple. The three runs gave Auburn a 6-0 lead.

Auburn added to its lead in the fifth inning. White doubled off the wall in left and moved to third on a ground out by Finney. White came in to score on Colton’s sacrifice fly to left to give the Tigers a 7-0 margin.

The Tigers ended the game in the sixth inning when Bell hit her first career home run with a solo blast to left that gave Auburn an 8-0 lead and put the run rule in effect.

In the first game of the day, Anna Thompson (4-1) took the loss for Auburn after allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits in 1.1 innings of work. Jordan Taylor (5-1) earned the win for Michigan giving up three hits and striking out seven.

After scoring in the first inning, the Wolverines broke open a one-run game with a five run outburst in the bottom of the second inning.

Allison Kidman reached on an error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She came around to score on Teddi Ewing’s double to the left field wall. Ewing moved to third during the play after an errant throw by the Tigers’ shortstop Kyndall White.