March 28, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. – A seventh-inning rally came up a run short, as South Carolina dropped a 3-2 decision to Auburn on Saturday evening at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn (24-9, 4-3 SEC) finally broke through in the sixth. With Kyndall White at first with one down, Tiger head coach Tina Deese called for a hit-and-run on the 3-2 pitch, and it paid off in a big way. Elizabeth Eisterhold lined a ball right to the spot where the Gamecock shortstop Evan Childs was before breaking to cover the bag. The ball skipped to the left field wall, allowing White to score from first on the double. South Carolina starter Audrey Broyles (7-7) got Tayrn Gray to line out for the second out of the frame. Amber Harrison added what proved to be much-needed insurance when she roped a ball over the wall in left center for a homer, making it 3-0 for the host Tigers.
The Gamecocks (13-14, 1-12 SEC) came up in the seventh and got a one-out hit from senior Ashton Payne. South Carolina head coach Joyce Compton called upon senior Jacqueline Wetherbee to pinch hit, and she delivered with a two-run shot out to left to make it a one-run game, 3-2. But Auburn hurler Anna Thompson (12-5) got a line out and a routine fly ball to end the inning and the game.
South Carolina had chances with the bases loaded in the first and sixth but came up empty both times. With two down in the first, sophomores Laura Mendes and P.J. Fulmer drew walks, and the next pitch hit Jill Semento to load the bags. But Thompson got a strikeout to escape the first jam. In the sixth, a throwing error followed by a wild pitch put Mendes on second. Fulmer drew her second walk of the game, and the two moved into scoring position on Semento’s sacrifice bunt. Junior Lindsay Walker drew a free pass to fill the sacks again. But Thompson hunkered down again, getting a foul out and a strikeout to set up the Tigers for the bottom half of the frame.
Thompson went the distance, allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out nine, including the first six outs recorded in the game. Broyles took the loss, giving up three earned runs on six hits while fanning five.
The Gamecocks and Tigers wrap up the series on Sunday with a doubleheader that starts at 12 noon CDT.
