The Auburn softball team (28-19, 6-10 SEC) rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, then held back a late rally by Mississippi State (28-21, 10-10) to defeat the visiting Bulldogs, 3-1, in the rubber game of a three-game set Sunday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field. Brooke Best highlighted a 1-for-3 day at the plate with her third career home run, with Lindsay Nelson and Iyhia McMichael both adding 2-for-4 hitting tallies. Six different players recorded hits for Auburn, with Ashley Moore (1-for-2) adding an RBI after reaching base twice on an RBI double and a walk.
Starter Kasey Whitehead surrendered just two hits, but gave way to Kellie Wilkerson in the sixth. Wilkerson (5-1) allowed two runs on four Tiger hits to saddle her first loss of the campaign. Despite giving up several knocks in the ballgame, Auburn starter Jennifer Lofton (10-9) captured the victory, allowing just one run on eight Maroon and White hits.
After being no hit through two and two-thirds, Auburn finally got something going with two outs in the third, putting Shannon Anderson on with a free pass, then scoring on Moore’s double off the centerfield wall. State knotted the score back up in the next frame when Best launched Lofton’s 1-1 offering over the 12-foot fence in leftfield.
The Tigers put together a rally in the sixth, getting a pair of runners into scoring position with no outs then getting a Sara Dean RBI single to rightfield to retake the lead. State attempted to dam the flood by reentering Whitehead into the circle, but Auburn added an insurance run two batter laters on Deni Zeigler’s sacrifice fly to deep centerfield.
Mississippi State will return to action this Thursday when the Bulldogs step out of conference to host a doubleheader tilt with Georgia Tech at the Mississippi State Softball Field. First pitch of the twinbill is set for 3 p.m. Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State softball home games is free of charge.
Auburn 3, Mississippi State 1
MSU 000 100 0 – 1 8 0
Auburn 001 002 x – 3 6 0