Tag: Abbey Smith

Auburn softball drops series finale to Texas A&M

Auburn led 6-1 through two innings but was outscored 13-0 the rest of the way to suffer the sweep in College Station.

No. 25 Auburn appeared to be well on its way to earning a win in its series finale with No. 12 Texas A&M on Sunday, but an Aggies offensive explosion quickly derailed the Tigers’ plans.

Auburn (15-9-1, 2-7 SEC) jumped out to a 6-1 lead in Sunday’s game with Texas A&M (18-4, 8-1 SEC) through two innings. However, the Aggies would outscore Auburn 13-0 over the final three innings to earn the 14-6 run-rule victory at the Aggie Softball Complex in College Station, Texas.

In a game where Auburn had a comfortable lead, head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] blamed his team’s defense and the youth in the circle for the loss.

“Our defense has been a strong point for us this season, and it let us down today,” Dean said postgame. “Texas A&M cut open with the bats. Our younger pitchers struggled a bit. The big innings for both teams were sparked by defensive miscues.”

Texas A&M struck first by stealing home to go ahead, 1-0, in the first inning. It would not take the Tigers long to respond, as they blasted through to put six runs on the board in the top of the 2nd inning. [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] tied the game with an RBI single, and [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] gave Auburn the lead by taking a base on balls with the bases loaded.

[autotag]Mariah Penta[/autotag] blew the game open two batters later by crushing a grand slam over the left field fence to push the Tigers ahead, 6-1.

The lead, unfortunately, was short-lived, as the Aggies used two, two-run home runs and a double to tie the game at 6-6 in the 3rd inning. Texas A&M added seven more runs in the 4th inning, with the headliner of the inning coming off the bat of Rylen Wiggins. Wiggins smashed a two-run shot to right-center field to give Texas A&M the 13-6 lead.

Texas A&M’s final punch was a solo home run in the 5th inning by Koko Wooley to put the run-rule into effect.

[autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] recorded two hits in the loss, while Mariah Penta led the team in RBI with four. Maddie Penta lasted 2 1/3 innings in the circle, allowing five runs on four hits while striking out one batter. Annabelle Widra, Emmah Rolfe, and Malayna Tamborra each saw action in the circle as well.

The Tigers will take a break from midweek action this week to focus on No. 7 Tennessee, who comes to town for a three-game set beginning Friday at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

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Auburn blanks Missouri to take final game of series

Amelia Lech smashed two home runs while Maddie Penta struck out seven batters in Auburn’s 4-0 win over Missouri on Sunday.

SEC play did not begin as No. 25 Auburn had hoped, but they managed to salvage a win in its weekend slate at Missouri on Sunday.

[autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag] smashed two home runs while [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] struck out seven batters in a complete game effort in Auburn’s 4-0 win over Missouri on Sunday at Mizzou Softball Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Auburn (13-4-1) only recorded one hit through the first two innings before breaking matters open in the 3rd frame. [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] began the inning with a bunt single and moved into scoring position one at-bat later, setting up [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] for a scoring opportunity. Packer delivered by securing a triple to left field to score Smith and putting Auburn ahead, 1-0.

Auburn’s final three runs came off the bat of Lech, who hit a solo shot in the 4th inning and delivered the final blow by hitting a two-run blast in the 6th inning.

Lech was joined by Smith and [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] by recording multiple hits in the game while Packer, KK McCrary, Icess Tresvik, and Rose Roach contributed to Auburn’s 10 total hits.

In the circle, Penta avenged Friday’s loss by allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters in seven full innings. Overall, head coach Mickey Dean was pleased with his team’s ability to bounce back from two tough losses.

“We did a nice job of making adjustments at the plate,” Dean said postgame. “Our defense played sharp. (Penta) hit her spots. We had a game plan that everyone was able to stick with. It ended up being a great day.”

The Tigers return to Jane B. Moore Field next weekend to face Bri Ellis and the Arkansas Razorbacks for a three-game SEC set. First pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on Friday.

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Saved by rain: Auburn softball’s rematch with Virginia Tech ends in tie

Sometimes, rain truly is a good thing.

During softball season, rain is usually not a welcome guest. However, for Auburn, a rain delay could not have come at a better time.

The No. 20 Tigers entered the 7th inning of Saturday’s rematch with Virginia Tech tied at 5-5. Three Hokies reached base in the inning, setting up Bre Peck for a chance to push her team ahead by a wide margin.

Peck delivered.

Peck smashed a 1-1 fastball over the left field wall for a grand slam, Virginia Tech’s second grand slam over Auburn in as many days, to go ahead, 9-5. However, the long ball will not go down in the record books.

Shortly after Peck’s grand slam, the game went into a delay due to heavy rain. The delay lasted over two hours, which led officials to end the game as the rain appeared to have no end in sight. The 7th inning was not completed, therefore the box score must revert to the last complete inning, thus ending the game in a 5-5 time.

Prior to the abrupt end to the game, two Tigers added home runs to their early-season total. [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] put Auburn on the board in the 3rd inning by hitting a solo home run to left field. Her second home run of the weekend pushed Auburn ahead, 1-0.

Virginia Tech answered in the top of the 5th inning. Emma Ritter doubled to left field with two outs to score Cori McMillan from 3rd base to tie the game at 1-1. The Hokies took the lead on a throwing error in the next at-bat to score Ritter and Rachel Castine to move Virginia Tech ahead, 3-1.

The Tigers answered with a three-spot of their own in the bottom of the inning. [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] took advantage of a wild pitch by scoring from 3rd base to cut the Hokies lead to 3-2. Two at-bats later, [autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag] drilled her second home run of the season, a two-run shot, to give the Tigers the lead back, 4-3.

The teams traded scores in the 6th inning to create the 5-5 tie. Castine hit a two-run shot to give Virginia Tech a 5-4 lead, then a fielding error in the bottom half allowed [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] to score to tie the game yet again.

Auburn recorded five hits in the game, with zero players recording more than one hit. Lech was the top hitter in the contest, as her two-run home run would be enough to give her the RBI lead. Castine lead the Hokies in the hits category with two.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] earned the edge in her anticipated pitching battle with Virginia Tech’s Emma Lemley. Penta went 4.2 innings, where she allowed three hits and three walks while striking out eight. Lemlee allowed three hits and struck out one in 4.0 innings of work. However, she walked seven batters. Three of those batters were issued free passes in the 1st inning.

Auburn’s originally scheduled game with Illinois has been canceled to the rain. The Tigers will return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. CT to face Belmont on the final day of the Tiger Invitational.

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Auburn softball drops second game of series to Mississippi State

Auburn goes for the series win on Sunday.

After picking up a win in the first game of the series, the Auburn Tigers (38-16, 14-9 SEC) fell 5-4 in nine innings to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (28-23, 7-15 SEC) in the second game of the series at Jane B. Moore Field yesterday afternoon.

“We fought,” said Auburn head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag]. “We have to put ourselves in better defensive positions and clean things up on defense on Sunday. It’s little things, but defense is who we are. We need to return to that.”

Junior left-hander [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] got the start for Auburn and allowed four runs off of seven hits, walked one batter and struck out four in five innings of work. Sophomore right-hander [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] pitched the remaining four innings and allowed one run off of three hits and struck two batters out.

Senior right-hander Aspen Wesley got the start for Mississippi State and allowed two runs off of two hits, walked three batters and struck out two in two innings of work. Freshman right-hander Josey Marron went the rest of the way for the Bulldogs and allowed two runs off of three hits, walked three batters and struck out seven in seven innings on the mound.

Mississippi State got the scoring started in the top of the second inning when graduate catcher Jackie McKenna singled to right field to bring in a run.

Auburn took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore shortstop [autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] singled to center field to bring in two runs.

The Bulldogs jumped back in front in the top of the fourth inning when shortstop Madisyn Kennedy hit a two-run homer to left center.

Auburn tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Roach hit a sac-fly to center field to score junior third baseman [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag]. The Tigers took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth inning when sophomore left fielder [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] scored on an error while base running.

Mississippi State struck back in the top of the sixth inning when McKenna reached on an infield single to drive in the tying run. In the top of the ninth inning, graduate left fielder Chloe Malau’ulu singled up the middle to bring in the go-ahead run. The Tigers were not able to answer back in the bottom of the inning and the Bulldogs picked up the 5-4 victory and evened up the series.

The rubber match is set for Sunday at 11:00 a.m. CDT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

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McCrary leads Auburn to win over Troy

KK McCrary had two hits and three RBIs in the win.

Auburn fell into an early 2-0 hole against the Troy Trojans but [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] and Auburn battled back to earn a 7-5 win over the Trojans Wednesday night at Jane B. Moore Field.

The Tigers are now 30-12 on the season and 12-2 at home.

The Trojans hit a two-run home run in the top of the first to strike first but the Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning. McCrary doubled to score [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] and then came around to score on a [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] double that also drove in [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] and gave Auburn a 3-2 lead.

“I thought we hit the ball well, ran the bases well, and I thought we played good defense,” head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] said. “The key is always to answer back, and I thought we were able to do that. When you answer back, it keeps the momentum on your side. We knew they were going to come in here ready. They didn’t play well at their place, and they’re a really good team. We knew they were going to come in here tonight ready to play.”

Troy tied it up in the second inning with a solo home run. After allowing three runs on two homers in the first two innings, Penta settled in and took over. Auburn’s ace allowed three runs over five innings and struck out seven batters.

The Tigers retook the lead in the third inning when Auburn hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] came around to score on an error and [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly to give Auburn a 5-3 lead.

Auburn got some more breathing room in the fourth when McCrary hit a two-RBI single to make it 7-3. She finished the game with two hits and three RBIs.

“It felt great to get a win,” McCrary said. “They’re a good team. We’ve been working on hitting in high-pressure situations in practice, so I was really happy that I was able to come through for my team.”

Those runs proved crucial as the Trojans scored one run in the sixth and seventh inning to make it a 7-5 game.

The Tigers will return to SEC play this Friday when they host LSU at Jane B. Moore Field.

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Auburn softball in the rankings: Tigers see minimal movement

Auburn softball’s series win over Ole Miss causes them to stay put in several national polls.

Following a series win over an SEC opponent, teams usually see a bump in their national rankings. Or, at the very least, stay put in their current spot.

That will not be the case this week for Auburn softball.

Auburn softball won its’ second-straight series last weekend by taking two of three games from the visiting Ole Miss Rebels. Auburn’s strong offense led them to an 8-2 win on Friday night, and a steal of home from [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] in Sunday’s finale gave Auburn the series win with a 1-0 victory.

Despite the win, the rise of teams such as Indiana, Texas A&M, and Wichita State has kicked Auburn out of one poll and has caused them to stay put in two others. This weekend’s opponent, Florida, also has a wide discrepancy with their place in the rankings. One poll has taken the Gators out completely while another has them ranked as high as No. 15.

Here’s a look at where Auburn stands in all four major polls ahead of this weekend’s series at Florida.

Penta, Lisenby lift Auburn to series win over Ole Miss

Maddie Penta struck out eight batters while Aubrey Lisenby recorded Auburn’s only hit in the series win over the Rebels on Sunday.

The No. 19 Auburn Tigers scored just one run in Sunday’s finale with Ole Miss, but it was the only score they needed.

An eight-strikeout day by pitcher [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag], as well as an issued walk to [autotag]Aubrey Lisenby[/autotag] that turned into a steal of home by [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] in the 3rd inning, would be enough for the Tigers to take the series, 1-0.

Offense was at a premium in Sunday’s deciding game. After accumulating 14 hits in the first two games of the series, Auburn (28-10, 6-3 SEC) could only muster one hit in the series finale. That lone hit came in the 6th inning when Lisenby lead off the inning with a single up the middle. The scoring threat ended when [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] grounded into a double play one at-bat later.

Penta held Ole Miss (21-16, 2-7 SEC) to just two hits in the game. Mikayla Allee recorded the Rebels’ first hit in the top of the 2nd inning, and Tate Whitley reached on an infield single in the 3rd inning. Penta ended with two walks and eight strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

Brooke Vestal took the loss for Ole Miss after being on the hook for Auburn’s 3rd inning run. Catelyn Riley followed her stellar performance in the circle in Saturday’s game by providing 2.2 innings of relief, where she allowed one hit and one walk.

Auburn will skip midweek action next week in exchange for an early series with the No. 11 Florida Gators. Auburn travels to Gainesville to open a three-game set next Thursday beginning at 5 p.m. CT at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

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Auburn softball rises two places in USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

A series sweep of Missouri has Auburn climbing in the NFCA/USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

The Auburn Tigers got back on track last weekend by sweeping Missouri in their SEC home-opening series.

Their strong defensive showing impressed the voters that make up the NFCA/USA TODAY Top 25 Coaches Poll, as they rose two spots from No. 21 to No. 19 in the latest poll.

The home-standing Tigers shut out Missouri to open the series behind a strong effort by [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] in the circle. Penta struck out a career-tying 17 batters while [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] and [autotag]Aubrie Lisenby[/autotag] each crushed two-run home runs in Auburn’s 4-0 win in game one.

On Saturday evening, Auburn clinched the series on a walk-off error in the bottom of the 7th to win, 2-1.

After severe weather altered the weekend schedule, both teams took the day away from the play on Sunday and reconvened for their regularly-scheduled series finale on Monday in front of a national audience. Similar to Saturday’s game two, a 1-1 game forced extra innings, and for the second game in a row, Auburn walked off to win, 2-1. [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] singled home [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] in the bottom of the 8th inning to seal the win.

“Tonight, you saw two good teams battling,” head coach Mickey Dean said following Auburn’s 2-1 win over Missouri on Monday evening. “Our kids certainly battled. I challenged them in the last two innings to play with some more confidence. As each player starts to grow their confidence, good things will continue to happen.”

Next up for Auburn (25-9, 4-2 SEC) is a midweek clash with in-state rival Samford on Wednesday night before hosting Ole Miss for a three-game series this weekend at Jane B. Moore Field.

Here’s a look at this week’s USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

# TEAM W-L PREV.
1 Oklahoma 30-1 1
2 Oklahoma State 29-2 2
3 UCLA 29-4 3
4 Tennessee 26-2 4
5 Clemson 32-1 5
6 Stanford 27-3 7
7 Florida State 26-7 6
8 Washington 25-6 9
9 Texas 30-5-1 10
10 Arkansas 24-9 12
11 Florida 24-7 8
12 Virginia Tech 25-6 11
13 Duke 25-6 14
14 LSU 26-6 15
15 Georgia 27-6 17
16 Kentucky 20-7-1 13
17 Alabama 24-10 16
18 Oregon 20-10 19
19 Auburn 24-9 21
20 Arizona 20-12 18
21 Baylor 23-8 20
22 Northwestern 17-8 24
23 Wichita State 26-7 22
24 Utah 21-5 23
25 Texas A&M 19-11 NR

DROPPED OUT:  No. 25 Louisiana

RECEIVING VOTES:  Louisiana (22), California (20), Arizona State (6), Boston University (5), Louisville (2).

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Auburn completes sweep of Missouri with second-straight walk off win

It is Auburn’s first-ever sweep of Missouri.

The Auburn softball team is starting to develop a sense of the dramatic as they once again walked off the Missouri Tigers.

This time it was [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] who came through by driving in [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] to secure the 2-1 win Monday night at Jane. B. Moore Field.

“All I could do was make sure I got on base for my teammates,” Bryant said. “We can take this momentum and keep going, keep winning. We can take this thing as far as we want to.”

After Auburn (25-9, 4-2 SEC) scored in the first inning their offense went cold until the bottom of the seventh inning with the game tied 1-1.

[autotag]Aubrie Lisenby[/autotag] walked to start the rally and head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] promptly subbed in the speedy [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] to pinch run for her, a decision that would prove crucial two batters later. [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] singled to left field to advance Smith to second, bringing up Bryant with the winning run in scoring position.

Bryant wasted no time ending the game by singling into right field and Smith scampered home to give Auburn its second-straight walk off win over Missouri.

It is Auburn’s first sweep of Missouri in program history.

“Tonight, you saw two good teams battling,” Dean said. “Our kids certainly battled. I challenged them in the last two innings to play with some more confidence. As each player starts to grow their confidence, good things will continue to happen.”

While the offense got it done late, [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] once again shut down the Missouri lineup. Despite walking four Missouri batters, Auburn’s ace allowed just one run on one hit and struck out eight batters in another dominant outing.

The Tiger opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] sent [autotag]Kenadie Cooper[/autotag] home with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Missouri answered back in the top of the third when Payton Jackson smacked a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1, it was their only hit of the game.

After that, both pitchers settled in and took over the game. Auburn did not have another base runner until Lisenby walked with one out in the seventh inning. Missouri only managed two runners in that same time, both via walk, and neither made it to second base.

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