Bri Ellis – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Year in review: Bri Ellis

The Auburn slugger followed her stellar freshman campaign with another great season at the plate.

It has been five days since the Auburn Tigers fell 5-1 to the Clemson Tigers in the final game of the regional hosted by their opponents.

The Tigers enjoyed a solid year, winning 43 games for the first time since [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] took over the program and finished third in the SEC.

The first transfer player to highlight in our Year in Review series is [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag].

In her two seasons with the program, Ellis has started in 117 of 118 games and has built a resume that included a batting average of .288 and 34 home runs (better known as “Bri Bombs”).

YEAR IN REVIEW: Maia Engelkes Aspyn Godwin Carlee McCondichie Lindsey Garcia

Here is a look at the season that was for Bri Ellis:

Denver Bryant becomes fifth Auburn Tiger to enter transfer portal

Bryant started in 81 games over three seasons at Auburn.

The tough news keeps coming for Auburn softball.

One day after three players announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, another key member of Auburn’s lineup has also declared that she will be looking for a new home.

Justin McLeod of Extra Innings Softball and Justin’s World of Softball reported that Auburn’s primary third baseman, [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag], has entered the transfer portal, becoming the fifth member of the 2023 roster to announce such a move. Bryant later shared a message via Twitter that seemed to confirm the decision.

“Thank you Auburn. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to play here. Thank you for the endless support. I’m excited to see where this path leads me,” Bryant tweeted Tuesday.

Bryant is yet another productive member of the Auburn lineup that will be moving on. In 2023, Bryant started in 42 games and appeared in 56 total games. She recorded career-highs in at-bats (116), hits (37), and walks drawn (14). She ends her Auburn career with a .312 average, 37 hits, 12 home runs, and 39 RBI. She also fielded at a .887 clip.

Bryant joins [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag], [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag], [autotag]Carlee McCondichie[/autotag], and [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] as members of the 2023 roster that have entered the transfer portal.

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Three more Tigers enter name into transfer portal

Three more players join Lindsey Garcia by declaring their intent to find a new home.

The Auburn Tigers’ softball season ended Sunday with a 5-1 loss to Clemson in the Clemson Regional final. Since then, four players have declared their intention to find a new home by entering the transfer portal.

Senior outfielder Lindsey Garcia kickstarted the movement by announcing that she would be entering as a graduate student prior to the Clemson Regional. Since then, three more have entered the portal.

Senior [autotag]Carlee McCondichie[/autotag] and sophomores [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] and [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] all announced Monday that they will be looking for new homes. D1Softball has added their names to their transfer portal tracker.

McCondichie, like Garcia, has recently graduated from Auburn but has eligibility remaining due to her freshman season being the COVID-shortened year in 2020. She exits Auburn with a career average of .326 with 98 hits, seven home runs, and 50 RBI. She reached career highs in average (.338), hits (46), doubles (6), home runs (4), and slugging percentage (.500) in 2022. During the 2023 season, she sent home a personal-best 22 runs.

Blaine enters the portal after completing her second season on the Plains. She saw action in 110 games over the last two years, starting in 86 of those. After starting in 53 of 54 games in 2022, her production took a hit in 2023 as started in 20 fewer games. Because of this, she was only able to muster 25 hits, two home runs, and 18 RBI, as opposed to the 39/9/37 she built as a true freshman.

The announcement that shook the Auburn fan base is the one made by Bri Ellis, the power-hitting first baseman for the Tigers. The 2022 Freshman of the Year had another excellent campaign in 2023 by batting .275 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI. In just two seasons, Ellis has hit for a .288 average with 87 hits, 34 HR, and 96 RBI, while slugging .685.

It is still early in the process, but Auburn already appears to be heading into rebuilding mode as two productive seniors, as well as two valuable underclassmen, are looking for new homes for the 2024 season. Auburn concluded their 2023 season with a 43-19 record, their best under [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag].

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Clemson knocks out Auburn on Sunday to end season

Auburn forced a winner-take-all game on Sunday, but fell to regional host, Clemson, in the seventh game of the weekend.

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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Auburn rallies to beat Mississippi State

The Tigers will go for the series win Saturday at Jane B. Moore Field.

Down but not out, the Auburn Tigers stormed back in the sixth inning to take down Mississippi State 5-2 to open the series Friday night.

“We had been having good at-bats the whole game,” said head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag]. “We just weren’t scoring runs. I told them I was proud of them because they showed real maturity. When you’re having that many hits and not scoring, it can be frustrating. You can kind of lose it, but we didn’t. We stuck with it.”

The Tigers entered the inning trailing 2-1 but [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] singled to start the inning and [autotag]Aubrie Lisenby[/autotag] put down a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position.

[autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] stepped up and hit the first pitch she saw off the wall to put the Tigers ahead 3-2 and secure the win.

“Striking out my at-bat before really stung,” Ellis said. “And that was in another big moment, so this time, I really wanted to get a hit. I just had to try something different. I got a good pitch, and I’m glad I swung at it.”

Auburn added on three more runs thanks to a Mississippi State error and a fielder’s choice.

The five runs were more than enough support for [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] who struck out 10 Bulldogs in a complete game performance. She allowed just two runs on four hits as she improved to 24-5 on the season.

The Tigers will go for the series win Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on the SEC Network+.

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South Carolina blanks Auburn softball to even series

Auburn will get another chance to win the series tomorrow afternoon.

The Auburn Tigers (36-15, 12-8 SEC) fell 8-0 at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks (33-16, 8-12 SEC) on Saturday afternoon.

Auburn did not record a hit in the run-rule affair and only had two base runners during the contest. [autotag]Carlee McCondichie[/autotag] walked and[autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] was hit by a pitch.

The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead on a throwing error in the 2nd inning and began to run away from the Tigers in the 4th inning. South Carolina’s Guilia Desiderio hit her first of two home runs in the game when she cranked a three-run blast to left field to extend South Carolina’s lead to 4-0 in the 4th.

South Carolina added four more runs in the 5th inning when Desiderio and Jordan Fabian each hit two-run homers. Desiderio’s second home run of the game was the final blow, which put the run rule into effect.

[autotag]Annabelle Wildra[/autotag] got the start for the Tigers and allowed four runs off of two hits, walked three batters, and struck out five in 3.2 innings in the circle.

Donnie Gobourne got the start for the Gamecocks, only walking one batter and striking out seven in five innings of action.

The rubber match is set for Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CDT and will broadcast on SEC Network+.

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Maddie Penta leads Auburn to game one win over South Carolina

She has now thrown six shutouts on the season.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] has been dominant all season for Auburn and she was once again sensational Friday night for the Tigers. Auburn’s ace pitched a complete-game shutout to lead Auburn to a 1-0 win over South Carolina.

She struck out 10 Gamecocks and allowed four hits and three walks. It is her sixth shutout of the season and the fourth against an SEC rival.

After getting the leadoff runner aboard in the first two innings but coming up empty, the Tigers finally capitalized in the fourth inning after [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] and [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] both singled to give Auburn two base runners.

A fielder’s choice erased Blaine but [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] stole second to give Auburn two runners in scoring position with two down for [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag]. The junior came through with an RBI single to left to give Auburn the 1-0 lead.

The Gamecocks threatened to steal the game in the seventh after two singles put the winning run aboard. Penta got the next batter to fly out and ended the game with her 10th strikeout of the night to secure Auburn’s third straight win.

The Tigers will go for their third straight SEC series win Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be on the SEC Network+.

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Tigers takes down Tide in game three to win series

Auburn earns their first series win in Tuscaloosa since 2017.

The No. 19 Auburn Tigers (35-14, 11-7 SEC) picked up a 3-1 victory over the No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide (34-15, 10-8 SEC) to clinch the series victory at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa this afternoon.

“I’ve been telling people all year that if you don’t come watch this team play, you are missing it,” head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] said Sunday. “That was one hell of a matchup between (Maddie) Penta and (Montana) Fouts. That was fun to watch. Maddie kept her composure. They threatened. We made mistakes, but she kept her composure.”

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] pitched the whole game for Auburn and allowed one run off of six hits, walked one batter, and struck out eight in seven innings of work.

Montana Fouts pitched the whole game for Alabama and allowed three runs off of seven hits, walked one batter, and struck out 11 in seven innings of work.

The Tigers got the scoring started in the top of the third inning when senior [autotag]Carlee McCondichie[/autotag] hit a solo home run down the right-field line.

The Crimson Tide evened it up in the bottom of the fourth inning when senior Jenna Johnson scored on a groundout to short by junior Bailey Dowling.

Auburn took control and never gave it back in the top of the sixth inning when sophomore [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] singled to right field to drive in sophomore [autotag]Kenadie Cooper[/autotag] and junior [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] doubled to left center to score freshman Skylar Elkins. That was all of the scoring in the 3-1 Tigers victory.

Auburn will be back in action next weekend when the Tigers travel up to Columbia, South Carolina for a three-game set with the South Carolina Gamecocks (32-15, 7-11 SEC). First pitch will be set for 5:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, 1:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday and 12:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday.

Auburn splits Saturday doubleheader at Alabama behind Bryant’s big day

Denver Bryant hit two home runs and was responsible for scoring four of Auburn’s six total runs on Saturday.

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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Auburn shuts out Jacksonville State

The Tigers hit two home runs and three pitchers combined for a shutout.

Some timely hitting and a dominant pitching performance were enough for Auburn to beat Jacksonville State 3-0 Wednesday at Jane B. Moore Field.

The Tigers (33-13, 9-6 SEC) jumped out to an early lead thanks to some two-out hitting by [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag]. After [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] led the bottom of the first inning off with a walk, Ellis smashed her 11th home run of the season to center field to give Auburn a 2-0 lead.

“I went up to the plate a little excited,” Ellis said. “I swung at a ball over my head, and I don’t usually do that. I told myself during the at bat let it get deep and trust your hands. It was a good pitch to hit.”

The blast is the 31st of her Auburn career, moving her into 10th all-time in program history.

Those runs would prove to be enough as the trio of [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag], [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag], and [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] who combined to throw Auburn’s 19th shutout of the season.

“All three of our pitchers worked ahead,” said head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag]. “That forced JSU to hit their pitches. We played some great defense behind them. We’re taking pride in our defense. Defense is what gets you to where you want to go.”

Penta got the start and allowed two hits in three innings of work. She struck out three batters and walked one. The junior now has 601 strikeouts, making her just the fourth Auburn player to reach that mark.

Lowe and Widra both worked two innings and allowed just one hit each.

The Tigers got some breathing room in the fifth when [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] led the inning off with a line drive home run to left field.

“They were throwing me outside the zone,” Tresvik said. “I knew that they were going to make a mistake and throw me an inside pitch. That’s exactly what happened.”

The Tigers will return to action Friday when they head to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama (33-13, 9-6). Games one is set to start at 8 p.m. CT and will be on the SEC Network.

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