ATLANTA — Pitcher Anna Thompson became the Auburn career strikeout leader and tossed a three-hit shutout to lead the third-seed Tigers to a 1-0 victory over second-seed Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Friday afternoon at Mewborn Field.
Auburn moves into the winners’ bracket of the regional and will face the winner of the Georgia Tech vs. Boston University game at noon today. The winner of that game will advance to Sunday’s championship game at noon. Auburn improved to 30-27 overall with the win and picked up the program’s first win in the opening round of an NCAA Regional. Iowa fell to 42-13 with loss.
“I am so proud of the way our team played today,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “These were two very good pitchers in the circle today. (Brittany) Weil has had an outstanding year for Iowa. But our team was focused and played aggressively all day. We got Anna a run in the first inning and that was all she needed.”
Thompson went the distance in improving to 15-15 on the season. The Huntsville native broke the Auburn strikeout record on the second batter of the game. Thompson got Lindsey Digmann to swing and miss on a 2-2 pitch for her 783rd career strikeout. Thompson had been tied with Holly Currie (2004-07) with 782 career strikeouts.
For the game, Thompson finished with eight strikeouts and walked just one in throwing 97 pitches with 69 going for strikes.
Weil took the loss for Iowa to drop to 26-11 on the season. Weil allowed one earned run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Auburn scored the only run of the game in the top of the first inning. Myesha Finney was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of the game and then stole second base to move into scoring position. Lindsey Harrelson put down a sac bunt to move Finney to third and Tatiana Fernandez brought her home with a bloop single to right on a 0-2 pitch.
Thompson retired the first seven batters of the game before allowing a base runner when Katie Keim singled to shallow center field with two outs in the third inning.
Thompson worked out of a jam in the fourth inning after Iowa put two runners on. Chelsey Carmody singled to open the bottom of the inning and moved on a wild pitch. A two-out walk to Katie Brown put runners at first and second. But Thompson ended the scoring threat when she got Liz Watkins to foul out to Kyndall White at third.
After that, Thompson retired the last eight hitters in a row. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Watkins reached on a single to left field to put the tying run on base. Pinch runner Rachel West was inserted for Watkins, but on the first pitch West was gunned down at second attempting to steal by catcher Elizabeth Eisterhold to end the game.
It was the second runner Eisterhold caught stealing on the game and increased her SEC-leading total to 22.
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