FINAL STATS

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. – A pair of seventh-inning home runs broke a tie and lifted Auburn to a 6-3 win over the Jacksonville State softball team on Sunday in the final day of the Hibbett/Easton All-Alabama Classic at Liberty Park.

The Gamecocks (3-2) and Tigers (3-0) were knotted at three apiece from the third inning until the top half of the seventh, when Auburn's Morgan Estell broke the tie with a two-run homer off of JSU freshman Tiffany Harbin. Lauren Guzman followed with a solo shot two batters later to give the Tigers the deciding advantage.

Junior Abbey Stepp belted her second home run of the season in the first inning, while junior Katie Matchen drove in a pair of runs on a pinch-hit single in the second. All four of the Gamecocks' hits came off of Tigers starter Jenee Loree, who left the game after the second. Lauren Schmalz (2-0) entered in the third and allowed just one baserunner over the final five fromes to earn the win.

Harbin (0-2) started the game  and suffered the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in recording all but one out. She struck out five and walked three before giving way to Freshman Savanna Hennings, who gave up a hit before getting the final out in the seventh.

Junior Kaycee Crow doubled and senior Sallie Beth Burch singled to account for the Gamecocks' other hits, while Estell led the Tigers with a 3-for-4afternoon that saw her score three times.

Harbin and Stepp were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts in the three-day tournament. Harbin, a native of Hazel Green, Ala., threw 14.2 of the team's 32 innings over the weekend, while Stepp, a Versailles, Ky., native, hit .417 with two home runs and five RBI over teh five games.

The Gamecocks will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., next weekend to compete in the Jacksonville University Invitational. The three-day event will get underway on Friday with JSU facing Central Michigan at 12:30 p.m. CT and host JU at 5 p.m. CT.