03/13 at 11:11 PM

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.  — Hilary Mavromat provided the only offense of the day with a two-run homer and pitcher Angel Bunner tossed a three-hit shutout as the No. 24 Auburn softball team completed a series sweep of Arkansas with a 2-0 victory Sunday afternoon.

Auburn improved to 22-2 overall and 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas moved to 9-15 overall and 0-3 in the SEC. The Tigers return to action with a double-header Wednesday, March 16, against No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Both games will be aired live by CSS.

“Angel did a fantastic job today,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “She worked out of a couple opportunities Arkansas created. She kept us in the game until our bats could get something going.”

Bunner improved to 6-1 with the complete-game victory. Bunner scattered three hits, walked three and struck out five to notch the series sweep for the Tigers.

Kim Jones (2-5) started and took the loss for Arkansas. Jones allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Neither team was able to generate much offense through the first four innings of play. Caitlin Stangl gave the Tigers the first hit of the game with a single through the left side with two outs in the top of the third, but Jones forced a ground out from Morgan Estell to end the inning one batter later.

Arkansas’ only base runner through three innings came on a one-out walk to Stephanie Brewer in the bottom of the second inning.

Bunner, however, never let Brewer advance past first as she retired the next two hitters to end the inning.

Becca Carden picked up the first Arkansas hit of the day, on a one-out single to right in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a ground out forced Carden to second, Bunner walked Brewer to put two on with two outs. Bunner worked out of the jam when she forced Jennifer Rambo to hit into a ground out to second to end the inning.

The Tigers broke the offensive drought in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs, Kelley Smiley tripled to the wall in center to give Auburn its first runner in scoring position in the game. Mavromat followed with a rainbow-like home run that just stayed fair as it cleared the left field foul pole. It was Mavromat’s fourth home run of the season and it gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, Jayme Gee led-off with a single up the middle. Gee was the first leadoff hitter to reach base for either team. A sac bunt from Brittany Griffiths moved Gee to second. Bunner forced Tori Mort into a pop-up to short for the second out of the inning. Gee was left stranded on base when Ashley Martindale grounded out to Kyndall White at third base. Gee was the fourth Arkansas baserunner left stranded through five innings.

The Tigers appeared headed for a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the sixth, but with two outs Kyndall White skipped the throw to first on a ground ball by Courtney Breault. Breault was able to advance to second on the error and give the Razorbacks a runner in scoring position, but Bunner ended a potential rally by inducing Brewer into a ground out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Rambo led off with a single through the right side and moved to second when Bunner walked Gee on four pitches. With the tying runs on base, Bunner forced Griffiths into a pop-up to first for the first out of the inning and fanned pinch-hitter Layne McGuirt for the second out. On a 1-0 pitch, pinch-hitter Amanda Caldwell popped-up to Bunner who made the catch to end the game.

Men’s tennis edged by Gators
The No. 26 Auburn Tigers were defeated by No. 15 Florida, 4-3, at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon. With the loss the Tigers move to 8-5 on the season, 1-3 in the Southeastern Conference.

“We had our chances and we came out on fire in doubles,” said Auburn head coach Eric Shore. “We knew they were going to be strong and that they were going to come back. It’s disappointing.”

In doubles, Auburn started out strong on court one as No. 46 Tim Puetz and Daniel Cochrane defeated Florida’s Sekou Bangoura, Jr. and Alexandre Lacroix, 8-1.

The Gators (11-3, 4-0 SEC) responded in the No. 3 spot as Nassim Slilam and Billy Federhofer topped Auburn’s Lucas Loppasso and Rafael Rondino, 8-4. The Tigers would secure the doubles point after No. 46 Alex Stamchev and Andreas Mies overcame Bob van Overbeek and Andrew Butz, 8-4.

Florida bounced back in singles, winning the first two matches to take a 21- lead. The Gators’ Spencer Newman toppled Lopasso, 6-3, 6-3. On court two, Florida’s No. 32 Bangoura defeated Tim Hewitt, 6-3, 6-4.

Auburn tied up the match at 2-2 after Rondino’s 7-6 (4), 6-4, victory over Florida’s Federhofer. On court one, No. 6 Lacroix gave Florida a 3-2 edge by beating No. 23 Puetz, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Florida clinched the win with a victory from Bob van Overbeek, who gave No. 117 Andreas Mies his first loss of the year, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2). No. 104 Stamchev finished the match with a win against No. 125 Slilam, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

The Tigers will head to Tampa, Fla., for a non-conference matchup with South Florida on Wednesday. Auburn will return to SEC action on March 20, in Nashville, Tenn., to face Vanderbilt.

Top-ranked Florida sweeps AU
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Auburn women’s tennis team (2-11, 0-4 SEC) dropped a 4-0 decision to top-ranked Florida (15-1, 4-0 SEC). The Tigers will return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against Boston University and Troy.

“We are beginning to show a much better competitive spirit,” said Auburn head coach Tim Gray. “Clearly there is a reason Florida is No. 1 in the nation. However, I really believe we had some opportunities at certain spots and they knew that.”

Florida won the doubles point with wins on all three courts. In the No. 3 doubles match up, the Tigers’ Taylor Schreimann and Caroline Thronton fell to the Gator’s Olivia Janowicz and Sofie Oyen, 8-3.

On court two, the No. 75-ranked team of Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather defeated Auburn’s Jacquline Kasler and Plamena Kurteva, 8-4, to clinch the doubles point.

On court one, Auburn’s Olivia Bennett and Paulina Schuppers went up against Florida’s Alex Cercone and Allie Will. Florida was up 7-3 before play was suspended.

In singles action, No. 1 Florida continued rolling with three straight-set victories. On court six, Florida’s Brittany Borsanyi topped Auburn’s Taylor Cohen, winning, 6-0. 6-1.

On court two, Bennett fell to No. 26 Embree, 6-0, 6-1 while Kasler fell to No. 35 Cercone, 6-1, 6-2, on court five to clinch the match for the Gators.

After Florida clinched the match, play was suspended on the rest of the courts. In the No. 1 matchup, Schippers was down, 6-2, 3-0, to No. 7 Allie Will. On court four, Kurteva was down to No. 21 Mather, 6-2, 4-0. In the No. 3 match up, Thronton was behind Oyen, 6-3, 2-1.

Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 10 a.m. with a match against Boston University. Play will continue at 4 p.m. against in-state rival Troy. Both matches will be played at the Yarbrough Tennis Center and admission is free.

Men’s golf tied for 4th
MURRELL’S INLET, S.C. — The eighth-ranked Auburn men’s golf team (295-597) finished Sunday’s opening 36 holes of the General Hackler Collegiate tied for fourth at TPC Myrtle Beach in Murrell’s Inlet, S.C.

“We had a tough day today all around,“ said Auburn head coach Nick Clinard.  “We need to get better mentally and physically. Our weaknesses were exposed today as a team. Tomorrow is a new day. This team is resilient and we will be ready to play.“

Sophomore Michael Hebert (72-148) leads the Tigers in a tie for 15th followed by sophomore Blayne Barber (75-150) tied for 23rd and junior Kyle Kopsick (79-151) tied for 25th. Freshman Niclas Carlsson (74-153) and junior Will McCurdy (74-153) are tied for 33rd.

Hebert recently earned his third top-five of the season at last week’s John Hayt Collegiate and will look to repeat in Monday’s final round. 

No. 18 Virginia (295-583) holds the team lead followed by Tennessee (287-594), tournament host Coastal Carolina (299-594), Auburn, No. 15 Augusta State (293-597), Pepperdine (300-598), East Carolina (305-599), ETSU (291-600), North Florida (301-604), College of Charleston (298-607), Lamar (296-608), USC-Upstate (313-619), Wake Forest (315-622), Charleston Southern (317-628), Presbyterian (321-631), Gardner-Webb (326-427) and Western Carolina (325-653).

Lamar’s Kevin Hesbois (65-140) holds the individual lead followed by Virginia’s Amory Davis (73-142) and Coastal Carolina’s Sebastian Soderburg (71-142) tied for second.

TPC Myrtle Beach is a par-72, 6,950-yard Tom Fazio designed golf course.

The Tigers tee off the front nine at 7 a.m. CST with ETSU, East Carolina and Pepperdine. Live results and complete tee times will be made available via http://www.GolfStat.com.