Auburn takes 2 from ULL to advance to World Series

A three-run home run by Kasey Cooper capped off a four-run sixth inning for No. 4 Auburn, which provided separation for the Tigers in a 6-3 win against No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette in Game 2 of the NCAA Softball Auburn Super Regional Saturday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field.
The four-run frame broke a 2-2 tie and lifted Auburn (54-9) to the program’s first Women’s College World Series appearance.
The Tigers entered Saturday with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 Super Regional following a come-from-behind 12-11 win in eight innings Friday.
With the loss, Louisiana-Lafayette (42-12) was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Belt Conference champions ended their season in either the Super Regional round or World Series for the fourth straight year.
Haley Hayden led all players with a career-high four hits, finishing 4-for-4 at the plate. Lexie Elkins finished 2-for-2 at the plate.
Alex Stewart (10-2) made her first career NCAA Tournament start in the circle. The sophomore hurler held the Tigers to two runs and five hits during her first five innings of work. Stewart held Auburn hitless in the second and third inning and retired the hosts in order in the fifth inning.
Samantha Walsh led the Cajuns with two RBIs coming on a bases-loaded, infield single in the first inning and a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning.
Cooper’s home run produced her game-high three RBIs.
Lexi Davis (24-2) held the Cajuns to three runs in her complete game effort. She played a key role in Auburn turning four double plays.
Auburn scored its first run in the top of the first inning via a two-out infield single by Branndi Melero.
The Cajuns answered in the bottom of the first on Walsh’s bases-loaded infield RBI single.
An Elkins RBI single off the center field wall with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second gave UL its first lead of the day at 2-1.
The Tigers drew even in the fourth inning on a bases-loaded RBI ground out from Jenna Abbott.
Auburn 12, ULL, 11
No. 4 Auburn forced extra innings with five bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the seventh inning and captured Game 1 of the NCAA Auburn Super Regional Friday, 12-11, against Louisiana-Lafayette on an RBI fielder’s choice grounder by pinch hitter Whitney Jordan in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Louisiana (42-11) held a 10-5 lead entering the bottom of the seventh after solo home runs by Kelsey Vincent and Aleah Craighton produced would-be insurance runs.
Back-to-back, two-out walks for Auburn (53-9) drawn by Haley Fagan and Morgan Estell loaded the bases. The five walks ensued and allowed the Tigers, who trailed since the second inning, to draw even.
Hayden doubled to lead off the top of the eighth and later scored on a wild pitch by Lexi Davis on a walk to Vincent, giving the Ragin’ Cajuns the lead again, 11-10.
The first three Tigers in the bottom of the eighth reached base resulting in another tie. Carlee Wallace walked, Fagan collected an infield single on a bouncing ball up the middle out of the reach of Christina Hamilton and Estell doubled off the wall in center field to plate pinch runner Sydne Waldrop.
Stewart relieved Hamilton and struck out Jade Rhodes for the first out. Jordan, pinch hitting in the ninth spot, grounded to Hayden at second base whose throw to Elkins at home was on target but not in time, allowing Fagan to slide in for the winning run.
The Cajuns posted their third multiple-home run game of the 2015 NCAA Tournament with four sailing over the fence. Vincent homered twice while Craighton and Elkins added one apiece.
Vincent finished 2-for-3 at the plate and joined Shellie Landry and Sara Corbello, both with two-run doubles, garnering team-high honors with two RBIs.
Jordan Wallace started for the Ragin’ Cajuns and posted nine strikeouts, which marked a season-high against ranked teams. However, she issued a career-high 13 walks.
Tiffany Howard, Emily Carosone and Cooper, Auburn’s 1-2-3 hitters, combined for seven RBIs. Davis, the Tigers’ second reliever of the game, picked up the win in relief after keeping the Cajuns off the scoreboard in the eighth inning after Hayden scored on a wild pitch.
UL and Auburn swapped single runs in the first inning, the Cajuns scoring on Elkins’ home and the Tigers on a ground-rule double from Cooper.
Louisiana-Lafayette took a 4-1 lead in the second inning via an RBI single by DJ Sanders, followed by a pinch-hit two-run double by Sara Corbello.
Louisiana-Lafayette’s lead grew to 7-2 in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Hayden and two-run double by Landry with two outs in the frame.
Wallace posted consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning to prevent the Tigers from answering.
Vincent’s first homer of the game extended the advantage to 8-2 in the fifth inning.
Auburn trimmed the Cajuns lead to 8-5 with a two-run home run by Carosone in the fifth and solo shot by Rhodes in the sixth inning.