Auburn Softball entered the Clemson Regional with a chip on its’ shoulder after just missing the opportunity to host an NCAA regional.
In the Clemson Regional opener on Friday, Auburn took out its’ frustrations on Cal State Fullerton. The Tigers used an eight-hit effort, plus a big swing by Bri Ellis, to earn a 12-2 run-rule win over the Titans on Friday at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson.
Head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] says that his team used a “stay where your feet are” approach to the game with Cal State Fullerton, which paid off.
“We weren’t looking forward, we weren’t looking backward. We were focused on today’s game, and we stayed there the entire five innings,” Dean said Friday. “We didn’t carry any bricks. If we made a mistake, we just moved forward. That’s what it is all about. It’s about your teammate having your back, trusting in your teammates, and believing in your teammates. That’s when you can go out on the field and play free and easy.”
Auburn struck first in the bottom of the 1st inning on a pair of RBI by [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] to give Auburn the 2-0 lead. In the 2nd inning, Bri Ellis answered Fullerton’s RBI single by crushing a grad slam to extend the lead to 6-0. The grand slam would be Ellis’ lone official at-bat, as she would walk twice and get hit by a pitch throughout the remainder of the game.
Makayla Packer would score two runs over the next two innings on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. McCrary and Garcia scored their second runs of the day, while [autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] would score the games final runs in the 4th inning to seal the win.
Auburn ended the day with eight total hits and four players would end the game with multiple RBI. That bodes well for Auburn, as they shut down Myka Sutherlin, who entered the weekend with 227 strikeouts, which was 10th best in the country. Sutherlin ended the game by allowing five hits and seven runs while issuing three walks, and striking out just one batter.
“We just stuck to our plan,” McCrary said after the game. “We talked about the changeup. We attacked that early in the count. I just approach the plate when I’m facing two outs like I have nothing to lose. We know we belong here. We’re trying to take a few games.”
Maddie Penta got the win for the Tigers by tossing 4.0 innings and allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out three batters. [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] struck out a batter in her lone inning of relief.
Auburn now advances to the winners bracket to face host Clemson, who defeated UNC Greensboro, 17-2 on Friday. First pitch is set for noon CT on ESPN.
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