SOFTBALL

Eisterhold leads Tigers past Kentucky
LEXINGTON —  Elizabeth Eisterhold’s two-out, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning broke a tie game and lifted No. 23 Auburn softball to a 5-3 victory over No. 18 Kentucky on Friday night.

Auburn improved to 37-15 overall and 14-12 in the SEC. Kentucky dropped to 35-12 overall and 13-8 in the SEC. The Tigers and Wildcats play game two of the series Saturday at noon.

“I’m very proud of the way we came back and won this game tonight,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “To get an early lead and have Kentucky come back and take the lead and us win it at the end is just a great effort by our team. Angel did a terrific job. She came in and threw strikes and attached the zone.”

Angel Bunner earned the win in relief to improve to 14-6. Bunner went four and two-thirds innings, allowing just one hit with two walks and four strikeouts. Bunner retired the first nine hitters she faced and 11 of the first 12.

Down 3-2, Auburn rallied in the top of the fifth. Caitlin Stangl led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a ground out to third. Kelsey Cartwright then delivered a single back up the middle to score Stangl and tie the game 3-3.

In the eighth, Rachel Riley retired the first two hitters of the inning before Kelley Smiley reached on an infield single. Eisterhold followed with a towering homer to left on a 0-2 pitch to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead. It was Eisterhold’s fourth home run of the season, first in SEC play, and 22nd of her career.

Tigers 13th heading into NCAA Regional final round
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The No. 13 Auburn women’s golf team carded an 11-over-par 299 Friday in the second round of the NCAA East Regional, a three-stroke improvement from its first-round 302. The Tigers go into Saturday’s final round in 13th with a 25-over 601.

While Friday’s round was an improvement by score for the Tigers, Auburn still has some work to do to advance to the NCAA Championship. With the top eight teams advancing, the Tigers currently sit just six strokes out of the crucial No. 8 spot.

After struggling with a first-round 77, senior Cydney Clanton bounced back to have the low round for the Tigers on Friday, carding a 1-over 73. She moved up 21 places in the rankings and is tied for 48th with a 6-over 150.

The top Tiger so far is junior Haley Wilson in a tie for 38th. She posted a 2-over 74 on Friday to take a 5-over 149 into the final round. Freshman Marta Sanz, Auburn’s first-round leader, carded a 6-over 78 in the second round and is currently tied for 54th with a 7-over 78.

Junior Patricia Sanz and sophomore Carlie Yadloczky both posted 4-over 76s on Friday. Sanz is in a tie for 73rd with a 9-over 153 while Yadloczky is tied for 80th in the 126-player field with a 10-over 154.

In the team race, Alabama is in the lead with a 5-under 571, followed by North Carolina with a 1-under 575. Individually, Alabama’s Stephanie Meadow is in the lead with a 6-under 138, followed by Michigan State’s Caroline Powers with a 4-under 140.