Thunderstorms on Friday moved No. 19 Auburn‘s series opener at No. 14 Alabama to Saturday, setting up a twin bill at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Both teams were able to earn a win on Saturday behind stellar pitching.
Alabama (34-14, 10-7 SEC) used a three-run 5th inning in game one to build a comfortable lead, which led the way for a 6-1 series-opening win. In game two, Auburn (34-14, 10-7 SEC) jumped out to a 3-0 1st inning lead and cruised to a 5-1 win to even the series.
The one constant for Auburn in both games, however, was the bat of [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag].
In two games, Bryant went 2-5 with two homers and four RBI. Her second home run of the day was a three-run blast in the 1st inning of game two to put Auburn on the board, 3-0. Her solo home run in game one would be the lone run that the Tigers would score in the series opener.
GAME ONE: ALABAMA 6 AUBURN 1
[autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] and [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] pitched for Auburn in game one. The pair combined to strike out four batters while allowing nine hits and five earned runs.
Alabama’s Ally Shipman was responsible for scoring Alabama’s first two runs of game one on a double and solo home run in the 1st and 4th innings respectively. Their big inning came in the 5th when Shipman, Ashley Prange, and Bailey Dowling each plated a run in the frame. A groundout by Larissa Preuitt in the 7th would score Alabama’s final run of the game.
Auburn would only record three total hits in the game, with [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] grabbing two of them. Alabama’s Montana Fouts went the distance in the circle, striking out seven batters and allowing three hits, two walks, and an earned run.
GAME TWO: AUBURN 5 ALABAMA 1
Auburn quickly gained momentum in game two on Bryant’s three-run home run with two outs in the 1st inning. The Crimson Tide would chip into the lead in the bottom half when Kenleigh Callahan’s single scored Jenna Johnson from third base to cut the lead to 3-1.
Luckily, Auburn would be able to build insurance while not having to worry about Alabama scoring anymore. Auburn’s final runs were courtesy of Peralta and [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag]. Peralta hit a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning to score Makayla Packer, and Ellis cranked her 12th home run of the season over the right field wall in the 6th to solidify Auburn’s victory.
[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] turned in another great outing in the circle for Auburn, as she allowed just three hits and an earned run while walking one and striking out seven in 7.0 innings of work.
“Penta performed really well today,” Dean said of Penta’s performance on Saturday. “She was nervous that first inning. There are a lot of people here. It was a big day for Alabama softball, being ‘Montana Fouts Day’. She settled down. She did her thing.”
The Tigers and Tide will battle in a winner-take-all game three on Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN, as well as the Auburn Sports Network.
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