The Auburn softball team put on a show in front of a large pre-A Day crowd with a pair of wins at Jane B. Moore Field on Friday in the War Eagle Classic.
After struggling in SEC play the past couple of weeks, the Tigers were happy to play a pair of non-conference games to get back on track.
The opener was all Tigers in a 9-1 route of Conference USA opponent Louisiana Tech, while the nightcap saw Auburn squeak by ACC opponent Georgia Tech in a 1-run victory.
Here is a rundown of the action from both contests.
Game One: Auburn 9 Louisiana Tech 1
| Runs | Hits | Errors | LOB | |
| Auburn | 9 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
It’s never a good sign when a team has almost as many errors as they do base hits. That’s exactly the kind of game LA Tech it had on Friday afternoon on the Plains. Auburn starter [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] (5-3) wasn’t dominant by any means, but she was able to work her way around trouble in multiple innings through a 5-inning, 6-strikeout, 1-run performance.
On the offensive side of things for the Tigers, things started early and often. Auburn put up three runs in the first two innings before a six run 5th ended the game due to mercy rule.
Anna Wohlers and KK McCrary started things off with back-to-back long balls in the final inning before Tech’s defense unraveled to ultimately seal its fate. After a trio of hits from [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag], [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag], and [autotag]Icess Tresvick[/autotag], Amelia Lech sent a fly ball to center field.
Tech center fielder Alexis Gilio made the catch but delivered an errant throw in, allowing the “merry go round” to go into motion as each Tiger baserunner advanced 60 feet.
A few pitches later, Mariah Penta reached on another error, allowing yet another unearned run to score. Icess Travick, who advanced to third on the error, stole home and was ruled safe after a Louisiana Tech challenge. After Skylar Elkins walked on four pitches, Annabelle Windra delivered the final blow on a walk-off RBI single to give Auburn its second mercy-rule victory in a row.
Game Two: Auburn 4 Georgia Tech 3
| Runs | Hits | Errors | LOB | |
| Auburn | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
| Georgia Tech | 3 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
While Auburn smoothly sailed through the first game of the day, the Tigers had to come from behind in dramatic fashion to claim victory in the nightcap.
Ace pitcher [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] (S, 1) got the ball in the second game of the day and was immediately met with resistance. Although Penta has been dominant at times this season, the first-inning continued to be her kryptonite on Friday.
The senior allowed three Yellow Jacket runs in the first inning but was able to settle down over the next five. She finished her night with 6 innings pitched, 3 runs (1 earned) and 9 strikeouts.
Auburn’s bats weren’t able to get anything of substance going until the bottom of the 6th when they blitz’d Georgia Tech’s Sophia Voyles and Kinsey Norton for 4 runs.
The big hits came from Amelia Lech and Mariah Penta, who drilled back-to-back RBI doubles to flip the script of the game. After ending game one with her bat, Annabelle Windra picked up the win on the mound in game two with a scoreless 7th inning to secure a 2-0 day for her Tigers.
Next up
The undefeated day improved Auburn’s record to 19-11 on the season. The Tigers play two more today against the same opponents with a chance to sweep the War Eagle Classic on A-Day.
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