Advertisement
other sports Edit

Auburn to SEC quarterfinals

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Behind the left arm of Chardonnay Harris and all-around play of Morgan Podany, No. 24 Auburn advances to the quarterfinals of the 2019 SEC Tournament following a 3-0 win over Missouri.

The victory for Auburn (35-18) marks the first time the Tigers have won a SEC tournament game as a double-digit seed in program history. It also moves Auburn’s all-time record against the No. 7 seed in the tournament to 5-0, which is the most wins against any seed in school history.

“That was an extremely well-played game by both teams,” said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean. “No matter if you’re a fan of the Missouri Tigers or Auburn Tigers, you can watch that game over and over. Some of those plays were just great plays and both pitchers, I thought, threw the ball extremely well.”

Chardonnay Harris (10-5) threw her second career complete game shutout against a SEC opponent as the sophomore tossed 103 pitches to 29 batters and scatted five hits, issued four walks and struck out six. Against Harris, Missouri (32-23) left eight runners on base, but the Tigers’ defense worked wonders on the diamond.

In the bottom of the first, shortstop Taylon Snow laid out to snag a ball, then flipped to Casey McCrackin for an inning-ending double play. Two innings later, Missouri had runners on first and second with one out, but a strikeout to Jazmyn Rollins and a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch by Morgan Podany ended the threat.

“Honestly, in centerfield are some of the hardest balls to catch are the ones that are over your head,” Podany said. “Because if you don’t open up the right way to make the right read, then you don’t really have a chance.”

Podany left her mark on the game, again, in the top of the fifth inning when she drilled a 2-0 pitch off the protective net over the scoreboard in left field. The senior’s second home run of the season extended Auburn’s lead to 3-0.

In the top of the first inning, Kendall Veach, who was named to the All-SEC Second Team on Tuesday, gave Auburn a 1-0 lead when she singled home McCrackin from second.

Auburn will continue its run in the SEC Tournament on Thursday, May 10 when the Tigers face No. 2 seed Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. CT. Earlier this season, Auburn took two of three games from the Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn.

Advertisement