Here we go for the national championship. One game for glory. After last night's heroics, can we do it one more time?
The Tigers get off to a shaky start. Auburn fails to score in the top of the first and Oklahoma gets two runs across on two untypical errors by Emily Carosone and a slow throw to first by our shortstop Oklahoma 2 Auburn 0.
Our ladies get the first two batters on with singles in the top of the second, but there is a force out at third and two strikeouts ends it. The Sooners get a single but strand the runner at first. Oklahoma 2 Auburn 0.
In the top of the third the Tigers load the bases on 2 singles and an error by their highly touted picture, but the highly touted pitcher retires the next 3 batters concluding with a 6-4-3 double play. Oklahoma fails to score in the bottom of the third. Oklahoma 2 Auburn 0.
After three innings, we've had some base runners but cannot bring them home. Shaky fielding yielded 2 runs in the first. Makayla Martin is doing a good job so far in the circle. Our hitters seem to be taking more pitchers than usual,
In the top of the 4th first batter Jade Rhodes launches a rocket over the left field fence for our first run. Haley Fagin walks. Nobody out. But that's it in the 4th. The Tigers cut the lead but Oklahoma still leads going into the bottom of the 4th. OU is scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Oklahoma 2 Auburn 1. Tight game as you would expect. We have to get to their highly touted pitcher.
As we go to the 5th I'm thinking that if we can hold them to two runs we will win this game.
Top of the order up for Auburn. Tiffany Howard is out on a close play at first. Kasey Cooper flies out to right. The count goes to 3 and 1 on Emily Carosone and she takes a called third strike. Big downer of an inning. Will Carosone get another chance at the plate? It's getting late and we trail by a run. Are we waiting for another dramatic Auburn finish? It's hard to believe it will happen this time, but are going to need some late innings fireworks. Oklahoma goes down in order in the fifth. Oklahoma 2 Auburn 1.
Hitters 4, 5, and 6 up for Auburn to start the 6th. Something has to happen soon. But we go in order and OU is scoreless in the bottom of the 6th.
We go to the climactic 7th and Auburn hitters 7,8,and 9 go down in order. Oklahoma wins the national championship.
If you had told me before this game that Oklahoma would only score 2 runs, I would have bet anything that we would win, but it didn't happen. Makayla Martin them scoreless for 5 innings, but those 2 errors in the first leading to two runs did us in.
Still a great season for the Auburn softball team.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Fifth Game: Auburn 11 Oklahoma 7
The Tigers face a win or go home situation. Having lost the first of a 3 game series the Tigers must win tonight to play a final game for the national championship.
The game starts about as bad as it could. The Sooners get a run in the top of the first after an error by our shortstop lets the lead off batter reach and that batter comes around to score. 1 to 0 after one.
In the second inning the Sooners put up a 6 spot and we are down 7 to 0 going into the bottom of the inning. Lo and behold the Tigers respond with a 5 spot and it's 7 to 5 after two innings. The bad thing is that Auburn leaves the bases loaded as Jade Rhodes strikes out.
Neither team scores in the third. Oklahoma leads 7 to 5.
In the bottom of the 4th Auburn evens the score as Kasey Cooper hits a 2-run homer well over the right field wall. After getting down 7 to 0 in the top of the second, the Tigers have evened the score. We go into the 5th 7-7.
Neither team scores in the 5th. We go to the 6th tied at 7-7.
In the Sooner top of the 6th Tiffany Howard makes the fielding play of the game. With a runner on she makes a spectacular catch in left field, catching what could have been a 2-run homer. She leaps and the ball lands in her glove beyond the fence, and she brings it back.
In the bottom of the inning we leave 2 runners on and we go to the 7th tied at 7-7. Will the final inning in regulation be a lucky 7 for somebody? The drama in this game is outstanding.
The Sooners are scoreless in the top of the 7th. Auburn has a chance to win this game in dramatic fashion. Alas, we go down in order in the bottom of the 7th.
To extra innings we go. Oklahoma goes down in order in the top of the 8th
Magic happens big time in the bottom of the 8th.
After one out the the Tigers load the bases and EMILY CAROSONE launches a rocket on the first pitch over the right field fence. GRAND SLAM!
Auburn rocks the Sooners, winner of 31 straight games coming into tonight, 11 to 7 with an unbelievable walk-off grand slam.
Wow!
Game three for all the marbles tomorrow night.
The game starts about as bad as it could. The Sooners get a run in the top of the first after an error by our shortstop lets the lead off batter reach and that batter comes around to score. 1 to 0 after one.
In the second inning the Sooners put up a 6 spot and we are down 7 to 0 going into the bottom of the inning. Lo and behold the Tigers respond with a 5 spot and it's 7 to 5 after two innings. The bad thing is that Auburn leaves the bases loaded as Jade Rhodes strikes out.
Neither team scores in the third. Oklahoma leads 7 to 5.
In the bottom of the 4th Auburn evens the score as Kasey Cooper hits a 2-run homer well over the right field wall. After getting down 7 to 0 in the top of the second, the Tigers have evened the score. We go into the 5th 7-7.
Neither team scores in the 5th. We go to the 6th tied at 7-7.
In the Sooner top of the 6th Tiffany Howard makes the fielding play of the game. With a runner on she makes a spectacular catch in left field, catching what could have been a 2-run homer. She leaps and the ball lands in her glove beyond the fence, and she brings it back.
In the bottom of the inning we leave 2 runners on and we go to the 7th tied at 7-7. Will the final inning in regulation be a lucky 7 for somebody? The drama in this game is outstanding.
The Sooners are scoreless in the top of the 7th. Auburn has a chance to win this game in dramatic fashion. Alas, we go down in order in the bottom of the 7th.
To extra innings we go. Oklahoma goes down in order in the top of the 8th
Magic happens big time in the bottom of the 8th.
After one out the the Tigers load the bases and EMILY CAROSONE launches a rocket on the first pitch over the right field fence. GRAND SLAM!
Auburn rocks the Sooners, winner of 31 straight games coming into tonight, 11 to 7 with an unbelievable walk-off grand slam.
Wow!
Game three for all the marbles tomorrow night.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Fourth Game: Oklahoma 3 Auburn 2
Here is the championship series. In only his third season Clint Myers has his team playing for the softball national championship.
Lexi Davis is our surprise starting pitcher. But for one pitch she delivers a great performance. Third inning: a single, a walk, and a 3 run homer.
Trailing 3 to 0 in the final inning, the Tigers get a 2-run homer from Jade Rhoades. We have runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Their first baseman knocks down a ground ball and throws out our runner at home. We leave the tying run at third as a popup ends it.
Our 7th inning rally falls short. Need to win tomorrow night to keep this thing going.
Lexi Davis is our surprise starting pitcher. But for one pitch she delivers a great performance. Third inning: a single, a walk, and a 3 run homer.
Trailing 3 to 0 in the final inning, the Tigers get a 2-run homer from Jade Rhoades. We have runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Their first baseman knocks down a ground ball and throws out our runner at home. We leave the tying run at third as a popup ends it.
Our 7th inning rally falls short. Need to win tomorrow night to keep this thing going.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Third Game: Auburn 8 Florida State 7
The Auburn softball team is headed to the College World Series final best of 3 games against either Oklahoma or LSU. No Auburn softball team has been this far before. Most likely we will play the Sooners. After our game tonight OU will only need to beat LSU once to advance and they will have by far the most fans in the stands tomorrow night.
The Tigers took a 7 to 4 lead into the 7th. All of our runs came on homers. There were two 3-run blasts and a solo shot.
FSU tied it on a three-run homer to send the game into the 8th inning. In the top of the 8th the Seminoles left the bases loaded. I knew with Rachel Walters pitching it would get hairy before it was over, but I didn't think they would tie it send the game into the 8th inning.
We get a single to start the 8th. Their leftfielder can't handle the ball cleanly and our runner scoots around to third. There is a short grand ball to the their third baseman, but the throw to home is high and before the catcher can get the glove down our runner slides in for the winning run. Wow! What an ending to send Auburn to the finals which will start either tomorrow night or the next night.
The Tigers took a 7 to 4 lead into the 7th. All of our runs came on homers. There were two 3-run blasts and a solo shot.
FSU tied it on a three-run homer to send the game into the 8th inning. In the top of the 8th the Seminoles left the bases loaded. I knew with Rachel Walters pitching it would get hairy before it was over, but I didn't think they would tie it send the game into the 8th inning.
We get a single to start the 8th. Their leftfielder can't handle the ball cleanly and our runner scoots around to third. There is a short grand ball to the their third baseman, but the throw to home is high and before the catcher can get the glove down our runner slides in for the winning run. Wow! What an ending to send Auburn to the finals which will start either tomorrow night or the next night.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Second Game: Auburn 4 Georgia 3
On ESPN2 we see the Tigers win a thriller and move to within one win of advancing to the championship round of he 2016 College Softball National Championship.
The Tigers get a run in the top of the first but trail 3 to 1 going into the 7th. Two singles and a Bulldog error and the Tigers hold the 4 to 3 lead in the bottom of the inning. That's quite a 7th inning rally! Three runs in the final inning to win it. The Dogs get two runners on base in the bottom of the inning but the game ends on a grounder back to our pitcher.
The winning run comes in a bizarre manner.
With runners on first and second there's a ground ball to the second baseman. She tries to tag the runner going to second rather than go for what would have been an inning ending double play. She finally flips the ball to get the force out but the runner on third comes on with the go ahead and winning run.
Our runner going to second is actually called out by going too far our of the baseline. Our runner on first left the bag thinking that was the third out and she was called out when our first base coach touched her to get her back to the bag. There was momentary confusion on the field, but the run counted because the third called out at first came AFTER the run scored.
WHEW!
That was exciting. Now on to tomorrow.
The Tigers get a run in the top of the first but trail 3 to 1 going into the 7th. Two singles and a Bulldog error and the Tigers hold the 4 to 3 lead in the bottom of the inning. That's quite a 7th inning rally! Three runs in the final inning to win it. The Dogs get two runners on base in the bottom of the inning but the game ends on a grounder back to our pitcher.
The winning run comes in a bizarre manner.
With runners on first and second there's a ground ball to the second baseman. She tries to tag the runner going to second rather than go for what would have been an inning ending double play. She finally flips the ball to get the force out but the runner on third comes on with the go ahead and winning run.
Our runner going to second is actually called out by going too far our of the baseline. Our runner on first left the bag thinking that was the third out and she was called out when our first base coach touched her to get her back to the bag. There was momentary confusion on the field, but the run counted because the third called out at first came AFTER the run scored.
WHEW!
That was exciting. Now on to tomorrow.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
First Game - Softball CWS
Auburn 10 UCLA 3
The Tigers make short work of the Bruins jumping out to a 5 to 0 first inning lead cruising from there. Next up is Georgia tomorrow. The Bulldawgs beat FSU in the first game today.
The Tigers make short work of the Bruins jumping out to a 5 to 0 first inning lead cruising from there. Next up is Georgia tomorrow. The Bulldawgs beat FSU in the first game today.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Fact
Clint Myers has coached 11 Division I seasons between Arizona State and Auburn, winning at least 50 games 8 times.
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