May 19, 2006

Box Score

TUCSON, ARIZ. - The Marist Softball team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 14-0 loss to Auburn on Friday evening. With the loss the Foxes end the season with a 33-13 record and competed in the school's first ever NCAA Tournament.

Auburn didn't take long to open the scoring as the Tigers plated a run in the top of the first inning. Lauren Walton opened the game with a base hit and was pushed across later in the frame on a ground out by Holly Currie to put the Red Foxes down 1-0 before they had an at bat.

The Tigers would open up a five run advantage in the third inning. Amy Shaw led off the inning after reaching on a error, and advanced to second on a stolen base. She was punched in on a base hit to center field by the shortstop Ashley Griffin. The Tigers were not done in the frame, however. Auburn would get a hit batter following Griffin's single and then back-to-back doubles from Tatiana Fernandez and Myesha Finney to take a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third.

The Tigers would not stop in the fourth, as they exploded for six runs in the inning to take an 11-0 lead after the top of the fourth. The inning was started by a triple to right field by Walton.

Marist could not get anything going against Auburn starter Currie. Currie faced the minimum in the five inning contest and did not allow a base hit. Marist had one base runner as Chrystine McHugh (Port Ewen, N.Y.) reached on a wild pitch following a strike out. She was later erased on a double play.

The loss brings to a close Marist's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and its first NCAA postseason appearance since dropping a pair of play-in games to UMASS (3-0, 8-0) on May 9, 1996. By virtue of those wins, the Minutewomen played their way into the NCAA Tournament the following weekend. The Red Foxes recorded a record of 28-14 that season.