Tag: Chelea Clemmons

Auburn shuts out Georgia State behind Penta’s perfect game

The Auburn ace has now struck out 34 batters while allowing just two hits over her last three appearances in the circle.

If anyone can top a no-hit, 11-strikeout performance in her next appearance, it is Auburn right-hander [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag].

Last weekend, Penta completed the second no-hitter of the Plainsman Invite by shutting out Northern Iowa. Thursday, she took it one step further by tossing a perfect game in Auburn’s 8-0 run-rule win over Georgia State at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

Penta meant business early on by striking out the first batter of the game. She went on to strike out at least two batters over the final five innings and reached a streak of nine straight strikeouts between the 3rd and 6th innings to end the game with a season-best 13 strikeouts. Penta’s perfect game is the third in program history, and the first since [autotag]Kaylee Carlson[/autotag]’s perfect game against Ohio State in 2017.

Head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] credits the entire defense for Thursday’s perfect performance.

“Perfect games are special,” Dean said. “Maddie stayed ahead and put them away early in the count. A great game behind the plate from Aubrie (Lisenby) to go along with some great defensive efforts. We got some timely hits late to put it away.”

Auburn’s bats took a while to warm up Thursday, as they held a 1-0 advantage through three innings. Auburn’s offense came to life in the middle innings as they scored six runs over the next two innings. Auburn’s four-run 5th inning was headlined by a two-run RBI single by [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag]. [autotag]Chelea Clemmons[/autotag] put the run-rule into effect in the 6th inning by sending [autotag]Mariah Penta[/autotag] home on an RBI single.

Penta and [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] combined to record four of Auburn’s eight hits while [autotag]Aubrie Lisenby[/autotag] ended the game with three RBI.

Auburn returns to Jane B. Moore Field this weekend to host Northwestern, North Texas, and USC Upstate as part of the Jane B. Moore Memorial. Auburn opens the weekend at 5 p.m. CT Friday against Northwestern, a Women’s College World Series participant from last season.

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