Tigers' bats continue thaw Friday night

The Tigers' troubles at the plate dissipated in a big way Friday.

Home runs from Kendall Veach and Courtney Shea along with a triple from Haley Fagan fueled Auburn's 8-1 win over SIU-Edwardsville — less than 24 hours after Auburn needed extra innings to dispatch the resilient Cougars. Coupled with the Tigers' run-rule victory over Creighton earlier in the day, the home team scored a daily total of 16 runs on 13 hits.

Not bad for a team that was hitting .194 coming into the day.

"We’re figuring out ways to win and we have no quit," head coach Clint Myers said. "Right now, we’re a dangerous team because if we get firing on all cylinders, you’re going to see one heck of a team. Our pitching has been good and our defense, for the most part, has been good. We’ve been getting some timely hits, though, so that’s a good thing."

Auburn (6-1) earned its second win over SIUE in as many days thanks largely to junior pitcher Kaylee Carlson, who conceded a single unearned run during her six innings of work. Her precision took pressure off the Tigers' hitters — and they seemed unusually worry-free. A two-run double from Kasey Cooper moved Auburn ahead 2-0 while Fagan's triple and an RBI single from Shea consummated a four-run rally.

Veach and Shea hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning to create a 7-0 lead. Carlee Wallace's sixth-inning double affirmed the Tigers' dominance at the plate.

Auburn resumes play in the Plainsman Invitational Saturday against Evansville and Creighton. The first game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CST and will be streamed at WatchESPN.com.