Tigers Fall in Game Two to Oklahoma, Concludes Season

Kasey Cooper picked up an RBI in Auburn's 5-2 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday

(Photo: Auburn Athletics/Dakota Sumpter)

Auburn Softball entered Saturday’s Super Regional game with Oklahoma needing a win to force a winner-take-all battle on Sunday afternoon. The Tiger bats performed well against Oklahoma pitching, but in the end, it was the Sooners day. Oklahoma took game two, 5-2 over Auburn, ending the season for the Tigers. The star in yesterday’s game, Nicole Pendley, continued her tear to open the game for Oklahoma. Pendley, who scored the first run in Friday’s game, put her team on the board with a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning with no outs. Sydney Romero got the inning started with a bunt single, followed by a single from Fale Aviu to put two on for Pendley. Auburn’s Casey McCrackin answered in the next half-inning with a solo home run over the left field wall to cut the Sooner lead to 3-1. With two down in the top of the fifth inning, Victoria Draper reached base on a bad throw to first from Sooner pitcher Paige Lowary. After Draper advanced to second on the error, she was driven home by senior Kasey Cooper on a single to shorten the Oklahoma lead to 3-2. After sending no more than four batters to the plate from the second inning to the fifth, Oklahoma’s offense returned in the sixth inning to add two insurance runs. Pendley added her fourth RBI of the game on a one-out single with two on. Shay Knighten scored from third base to extend the lead to 4-2. The fifth and final run came one at-bat later, as Aviu scored from third base while pinch runner Raegan Rogers attempted to steal second base. Courtney Shea reached base in the top half of the seventh inning, but Lowary and the Oklahoma defense would retire the next three batters in order to secure the win. Nicole Pendley finished the day with four RBI on two hits for Oklahoma. Sydney Romero also had a multiple hit game. For Auburn, Casey McCrackin and Kasey Cooper each recorded a hit for the second game in a row, Courtney Shea and Victoria Draper each added a hit to Auburn’s total. Paige Lowary earns the win for Oklahoma in relief. Mariah Lopez started the game, allowing two hits and an earned run in 2.1 innings of work. Lowary allowed two hits and an unearned run while striking out five Tigers. Between the two games, Oklahoma pitching allowed two runs on eight hits, struck out 22 batters, and walked three. No Auburn batter recorded more than one hit in the super regional series. Kaylee Carlson is tagged with the loss, allowing six hits and five earned runs in six innings of work while striking out three. Auburn concludes their season at 49-12, missing the Women’s College World Series for just the second time in Clint Myers’ four-year tenure as Head Coach. Oklahoma will continue their season in the Women’s College World Series beginning next week against the winner of the Arizona Super Regionals between Arizona and Baylor. The Sooners will compete in their 11th Women’s College World Series, in hopes of earning national championship number four.