Softball fans were treated to a classic with the third game of the SEC Softball Tournament between No. 10 seed Auburn and No. 7 seed Georgia. However, the host Tigers were on the losing end.
Tied 2-2 going to the 14th inning, Auburn’s [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] blasted a three-run home run to right field to put the Tigers ahead, 5-2. However, Georgia responded by hitting two home runs in the bottom frame to walk away with the 6-5 1st round win over Auburn on Wednesday at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.
The 4-hour and 21-minute marathon, an SEC record, began with Auburn jumping out to a 1-0 lead on an Icess Tresvik single that scored McCrary in the 1st inning. Georgia responded by scoring two runs in the bottom frame to take the 2-1 lead.
Amelia Lech hit a ball deep enough to left field to score the speedy Makayla Packer to tie the game at 2-2 in the 2nd inning. Both teams would fail to plate runs over the next 10 innings before McCrary’s three-run homer broke the spell in the 14th inning. Over the drought, Auburn recorded just three hits and stranded eight base runners.
Georgia responded to McCrary’s slam by hitting a three-run shot of their own. Jayda Kearney tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 14th with her three-run blast and Sarah Gordon delivered the final blow by hitting a solo home run with two outs in the inning to put the game to bed.
McCrary and Packer recorded two hits in the contest with McCrary winning the RBI race with three. In the circle, [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] combined to strike out 10 batters while allowing 11 hits and walking eight. Penta struck out six batters and allowed three hits while walking six batters over nine full innings of work. Lowe finished the final 4 2/3 innings by striking out four and walking two while allowing eight hits.
Auburn will now await its NCAA Tournament fate. According to Softball America’s recent bracketology, the Tigers are forecasted to compete in the Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State alongside FAU and Chattanooga.