Tigers score three runs in 7th to slip by 'very good' Bulldogs

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Auburn Tigers couldn't get much going until they were down to their last chance.

They found a way, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat Georgia 4-3 on Saturday night in the Women's College World Series.

"It was a hell of a game," Auburn Coach Clint Myers said.

Auburn (56-10), which matched last year's school record for victories, needs one more victory to advance to the championship series.

"We're very excited," Myers said. "You know, it puts us in a great place. I'm really proud of the fight -- they never quit. They stayed in the ballgame, and they beat a very, very good Georgia team."

Georgia scored runs in the second, third and fourth innings and took a 3-1 lead into the top of the seventh.

Auburn's Victoria Draper led off with a single. Tiffany Howard reached on a fielder's choice, and an error kept both runners on. Kasey Cooper, Auburn's best player, singled to score Draper and make it 3-2.

Emily Carosone followed with a single to score Howard and chase Georgia starter Chelsea Wilkinson. Cooper then scored on a fielder's choice to give Auburn a 4-3 lead.

Auburn ran into some controversy at the end of the inning. On the play that produced the winning run, Carosone was called out because she ran outside the basepath. The batter, Jade Rhodes, reached first base, then vacated it.

Auburn's first base coach physically assisted her back to the base, a violation that was an automatic out to end the inning. The run counted because the third out was not a force out.

"My excitement got to me, but then I have to realize like the run did count," Rhodes said. "So even though my excitement got to me, I can't let myself get down, so I had to go back on defense, and we had to finish it strong."

Georgia (46-19) still had a chance. The Bulldogs had two on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but didn't score.

"It's tough," Georgia Coach Lu Harris-Champer said. "It's tough to lose. It's tough when you put your heart out there, but I'm proud of them for putting their heart out there and fighting with everything that they have."

Now, the Bulldogs will play another Southeastern Conference rival, LSU, in an elimination game today.

"I think our conference is amazing, and it's tough, and it's a dogfight every game that you get to play, and we feel that every time we get out there," Harris-Champer said. "So we're excited to play. We're excited to still be here and having an opportunity to compete."

OKLAHOMA 7, MICHIGAN 5

Sydney Romero got the best of her matchup with her older sister and Oklahoma beat Michigan.

Sydney, a freshman, had two hits, including a solo home run for the Sooners (54-7). They won their 29th consecutive game and are one victory from the championship series.

Sierra, a senior who was the Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year, had one hit and drove in a run for the Wolverines (52-6).

Oklahoma led 4-0 in the fourth inning when Michigan's Aidan Falk hit a two-run home run to spark a three-run inning. Nicole Pendley's solo shot in the sixth pushed Oklahoma's lead to 5-3, and the Sooners added two runs in the seventh.

Michigan trimmed Oklahoma's lead to 7-5 and had the bases loaded with two outs before Oklahoma's Paige Parker forced a grounder to end the game.

LSU 6, ALABAMA 4

Sandra Simmons homered and drove in two runs to help LSU beat Alabama in an elimination game.

Bailey Landry added two hits for the Tigers (51-17).

Sahvanna Jaquish doubled to knock in two runs and give LSU a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning before Alabama rallied.

Chandler Dare's RBI single made it 6-3 in the sixth inning and chased LSU starter Carley Hoover. Alabama scored once more in the inning, but left the bases loaded. The Crimson Tide failed to score in the seventh. Hoover got the victory and Allie Walljasper got the save for LSU.

Leona Lafaele had two hits, including a home run and two RBI, and Haylie McCleney added two doubles for Alabama (51-14).

FLORIDA STATE 8, UCLA 4

Alex Powers had four hits, including a solo home run, to lead Florida State past UCLA in an elimination game.

Morgan Klaevemann knocked in four runs for the Seminoles (54-9), who bounced back from a 5-4 loss to Georgia on Thursday.

UCLA's Mysha Sataraka hit a grand slam to center in the bottom of the first inning to open the scoring. It was her second home run in two world series games.

Florida State's Jessica Warren hit a solo home run in the third to cut UCLA's lead to 4-3. Powers doubled, then advanced to third on a single by Sydney Broderick.

Cali Harrod bunted to score Powers, and Broderick scored for a 5-4 lead when UCLA got caught worrying about Harrod between first and second.

Kylee Perez had two hits for UCLA (40-16-1).

Sports on 06/05/2016