The No. 16 Auburn Tigers fought until the very last out on Sunday at the Clemson Regional. But, as they say, it was not meant to be.
Auburn made their way to Championship Sunday by defeating Cal State Fullerton late Saturday night, 5-0. Their prize was a rematch with the regional hosts, Clemson, the team that defeated them 7-0 earlier in the day.
Game one would go Auburn’s way, as they took down Clemson, 5-2, behind a nine-hit day and a three-run home run by [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag]. In game two, Clemson ace Valerie Cagle got her revenge by allowing four hits in a complete-game, 5-1 win. Clemson’s win over Auburn in game two sets them up with a date with the Oklahoma Sooners next weekend in the Super Regionals.
“After playing through the bracket and having a late night, I am so proud of the fight our team had to force a game seven,” Auburn head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] said Sunday. “We just didn’t have enough in the tank at the end. Congrats to Clemson. They are a talented team. We’ve been building something for the last several years, and we’re on the doorstep of something big. This was a special season. It’s something we can continue to build off.”
The Tigers end the season with a 43-19 record and ended as the third-place team in the SEC. Auburn’s 43 wins are the most in the Mickey Dean era, and it marks the third time since Dean took over the program in 2018 that the Tigers have reached 40 wins.
GAME ONE: Auburn 5 Clemson 2
Auburn jumped on Clemson early in Sunday’s opening game with a three-run home run by Bri Ellis in the 1st inning. Auburn held the shutout until the 4th inning when Clemson’s Alia Logoleo hit a solo home run to cut Auburn’s lead to 3-1. Nelia Peralta would add to Auburn’s lead in the bottom of the 4th on a double to right field that scored Skylar Elkins. Auburn and Clemson would trade runs in the 5th and 6th inning to cap scoring. Clemson’s Caroline Jacobsen showed patience at the plate by forcing a bases-loaded walk in the 5th inning to score Arielle Oda to bring the score to 4-2. Auburn’s final run came in the 6th inning on an RBI single by Jessie Blaine that scored Abbey Smith.
Auburn did most of their damage to Clemson’s Valerie Cagle, who allowed three runs on four hits in 3.0 innings. Clemson would ultimately use four pitchers in the loss. Auburn’s Maddie Penta tossed a complete game, where she allowed six hits and two runs while striking out seven batters.
GAME TWO: Clemson 5 Auburn 1
As Mickey Dean said after the game, Auburn “didn’t have enough in the tank” to win a second game over Clemson on Sunday. Cagle bounced back to toss a complete game where she allowed four hits and struck out two batters. Auburn’s lone run came in the third inning when Makayla Packer scored on a fielder’s choice to Annabelle Widra.
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