Make it 13

AUBURN | Kaylee Carlson had a good feeling about how things would unfold against No. 18 James Madison University Saturday night.

"I felt pretty good — I'm not going to lie," she said.

No joke.

The junior had complete control of her fastball and her changeup, which Carlson had struggled to locate during the past week or so, was a consistent weapon. A two-run homer from Courtney Shea in the fourth inning gave Carlson a taste of run support — and that was all she needed.

Carlson struck out eight batters and earned the shutout in Auburn's 4-0 victory. The Tigers now have won 13 consecutive games.

"The pitching has been the strength of us the whole season," coach Clint Myers said. "They make pitches when they have to. They get outs when they have to."

Shea's homer was the turning point. The junior saw 11 pitches during her first at-bat, fouling off an array of pitches to stave off disappointment. Her patience yielded a second-inning single and prefaced her more important second at-bat.

"I was a little frustrated," Shea said. "It reminded me of my last at-bat in the World Series — and I wanted this one to end with a different outcome. I just wanted to hit the ball fair and get running."

And the homer?

"That one felt really good off the bat," she said.

The Tigers resume play Sunday afternoon with a 1 o'clock rematch with the Dukes, who are expected to throw ace Megan Good. She has allowed just 16 hits in 44 innings of work this season.