Auburn's final non-conference weekend was a winner.
Six times a winner, in fact.
The Tigers swept their way through the War Eagle Challenge — a tour de force consummated by a 7-2 win over Radford Sunday afternoon. Auburn outscored its opponents 36-10 this weekend.
"I thought we did some good things,” Auburn head coach Mickey Dean said. “We won six games, which is always good, but we still have some things we need to work on to be consistent.”
The statistics tell a different story. Auburn hit .331 (opponents hit .201), notched 21 extra-base hits (opponents had three) and walked more often than it struck out. The pitching? Ashlee Swindle was the only pitcher to allow more than two earned runs this weekend. Top starters Makayla Martin and Lexie Handley combined to allow three earned runs in 24 1/3 innings — along with 33 strikeouts.
Auburn opened the Challenge with a 5-0 win over Michigan State on Thursday followed by 10-2 and 5-2 wins over Mercer and Radford Friday. Victories over Louisville (6-2) and MSU (3-2) were a bit more challenging on Saturday before a comprehensive, 7-2 victory over Radford Sunday.
Catcher Kendall Veach was the team's top Challenge hitter with five home runs and seven RBIs. Third baseman Tannon Snow and shortstop Taylon Snow finished with six RBIs apiece.
The Tigers (22-4) resume play Wednesday night at Georgia State before returning home to open Southeastern Conference play next weekend against Texas A&M.