Tag: Mickey Dean

Maddie Penta, Shelby Lowe combine for no-hitter in Auburn’s drubbing of UAB

Maddie Penta and Shelby Lowe teamed up to strike out seven batters in Auburn’s blowout win over the Blazers on Tuesday.

It has become normal for Auburn pitchers to toss gems against non-conference opponents. Tuesday’s action was no exception.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] combined to strike out seven batters while allowing zero runs or hits in Auburn’s 9-0 run-rule win over UAB Tuesday night at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn. The no-hitter was Auburn’s 35th of all time, and the first for the Tigers since last Wednesday’s game against Samford when Auburn’s staff combined to toss the fourth perfect game in program history.

Penta picked up her 12th win on Tuesday by tossing four innings of shutout softball, striking out five batters. She suffered two blemishes in the game, one took place in the 1st inning when she hit the second batter of the game, and the next was a base-on-balls in the 4th inning. Lowe took over in the 5th inning, striking out two of the three batters she faced to lock down the win.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] was pleased with the effort his two pitchers gave in the circle.

“We got off to a nice start,” Dean said postgame. “We continued to build off that. Our pitchers worked ahead. We averaged 15 pitches an inning, which is exactly where we want to be. We did a nice job.”

Auburn’s work at the plate began early as they ended the 1st inning with a four-run cushion. [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] scored two runs on a single to right field while [autotag]Mariah Penta[/autotag] drove home two additional runs on a double to left field. A fielder’s choice by UAB allowed [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] to score in the 2nd inning to extend Auburn’s lead to 5-0, which paved the way for another big inning.

Auburn added three more runs in the 3rd inning thanks to two RBI singles by Wohlers and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag]. The final blow was delivered by [autotag]Riley McNemar[/autotag], who sent Axe Milanowski home on a sacrifice fly.

Auburn will look to carry the momentum earned from Tuesday’s win to Baton Rouge this weekend. The Tigers will face No. 6 LSU this weekend for a three-game set beginning Friday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Recap: Auburn splits pair of games to finish War Eagle Classic

After winning its first two games of the weekend on Friday, Auburn softball wrapped the weekend by splitting a pair of games in the War Eagle Classic.

An off weekend in SEC play gave the chance for Auburn softball to create some momentum for itself for the rest of the season. The Tigers went into Saturday with their eyes set on doing just that after winning their first two games on Friday.

For the most part, [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] and his squad were able to keep playing well, splitting two games against Louisiana Tech and Georgia Tech.

Auburn got the scoring started off early in its 5-0 game one victory over Louisiana Tech. After an out and two singles led off the bottom of the 1st, [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] singled into right center to score [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag], putting her team up 1-0.

Icess Tresvik hit a single later on in the inning to score another run for the Tigers. She would then go and steal second, third and home to score the games third run, giving Auburn a 3-0 advantage.

A defensive next few innings saw neither team score until the bottom of the 5th. This time, Tresvik came through big again and hit a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing in [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag].

[autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag] followed that contact up with a hit of her own, singling into center field and scoring [autotag]Thalia Martin[/autotag] to make it a 5-0 game. This ultimately secured the win for the Tigers.

Game two featured an offensive battle between Auburn and Georgia Tech, one in which the the Tigers ultimately lost 10-9.

The scoring got started early in this one as well. With two runners on and two outs in he top of the 1st, Madison Dobbins singled into center field to bring in the game’s first run. Jayden Gailey came up immediately after to hit a double, scoring two more to make it a 3-0 Yellow Jacket lead.

That scoring continued for Georgia Tech in the top of the 2nd when Sara Beth Allen and Mallorie Black hit back-to-back solo home runs, making it 5-0 early on.

The Tigers answered back in the bottom half of the inning when Tresvik continued her big day with a two-RBI home run to center field, getting Auburn on the board.

Packer kept that positive energy going in the bottom of the 3rd with a single of her own up the middle, scoring a run and cutting the deficit to two at 5-3.

The Yellow Jackets would not go away though. Allen came up again in the top of the 4th and hit another a two-run deep shot to center field, making it 7-3.

Tiffany Domingue continued the action in the inning with a single to right field that brought in the eighth run for Georgia Tech.

With one runner on in the bottom of the 4th, Skylar Elkins put the Tigers back in it with a single that scored Tresvik.

That energy continued into the bottom of the 5th when [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] hit a solo home run to right center field. That gave way for Packer to hit a double later on in the inning to score another Auburn run, making it 8-6.

The Yellow Jackets made sure that would worry them, though. With one runner on the top of the 6th, Allen came up clutch again, hitting her third home run of the game. It scored two runs to make it 10-6.

The Tigers would not go down without a fight in this game. Wohlers hit an RBI double in the bottom of the 6th to make it 10-7.

Then, in the 7th, [autotag]Mariah Penta[/autotag] singled into right center field with the bases loaded, plating a run to make a two-run game. Elkins came up immediately after and grounded out, but scored another run to make it 10-9.

Unfortunately, Auburn could not push across another run, losing a heartbreaker to finish the weekend.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] got the complete game win in game one, striking out 15 batters while only giving up two hits and walking one. She improved to 11-6 on the year.

[autotag]Annabella Widra[/autotag] was given the loss against Georgia Tech to drop to 4-2. She pitched 2.0 innings, giving up five runs on six hits and striking out two.

The Tigers will now prepare to take on the UAB Blazers on Wednesday, April 10. First pitch in that game is set for 6 p.m. CST at Jane B. Moore Field.

 

Auburn snaps No. 4 Tennessee’s long win streak with Sunday victory

A clutch 6th inning at the plate lifted Auburn to a win over No. 4 Tennessee on Sunday.

Auburn softball dropped a pair of four-run games to No. 4 Tennessee this weekend, and looked to show fight on Sunday in hopes of earning a win in the series.

The Tigers struck first in the 1st inning, and added insurance runs in the 6th inning to clinch a Sunday victory, defeating the Lady Vols, 4-1 at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

In addition to Auburn’s clutch hitting, [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] was a force in the circle. In a complete game effort, Penta struck out seven batters while allowing a run on five hits. Auburn head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] knows that Tennessee’s bats are lethal, and commends Penta’s strong effort in the win.

“(Tennessee’s) hitters are like piranhas… If they get off to a good start, it’s going to be a long game,” Dean said. I thought Maddie (Penta) and our defense did a nice job in those first three innings and then you threw the two runs on top. It kind of kept them in a lull. It took us seven innings, but in that last inning, we got that insurance. We had that big defensive play in right field. We work on this stuff all the time. That was key to winning the ball game.”

Auburn set the tone of the game early by scoring two runs in the 1st inning. After Penta retired the side in order in the top half of the inning, two runs scored in the bottom frame on an infield single by Icess Tresvik, which resulted in an error on Tennessee shortstop Laura Mealer.

The Lady Vols answered in the top of the 4th inning thanks to an RBI single by Taylor Pannell, but momentum would be erased in the 6th with an RBI triple by Nelia Peralta and an RBI single by Amelia Lech.

The win is the 700th of Dean’s collegiate career, it also snapped a 20-game Tennessee win streak.

The Tigers return to Jane B. Moore Field on Wednesday to face in-state foe Samford. First pitch between the Tigers and Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. CT.

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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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Long ball dooms Auburn in series opener at Texas A&M

Auburn struck first in Friday’s opener, but three Texas A&M home runs ultimately made the difference.

The No. 25 Auburn Tigers are working to win its first SEC series of the season, and hope to find luck in College Station this weekend against the No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies.

Auburn struck first in Friday’s opener. However, Texas A&M scored five runs on three home runs over the final three innings to earn the series-opening victory, 5-1, at the Aggie Softball Complex in College Station, Texas.

The Tigers had opportunities to score by leaving seven total runners on base, including the 7th inning, where the bases were left loaded before a flyout ended Auburn’s scoring threat. Head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] hopes to see his team take advantage of future opportunities.

“We had great effort,” Dean said postgame. “Our execution wasn’t quite what we needed it to be. We didn’t get any runs in our two bases-loaded opportunities. We are making mistakes in the circle that we normally don’t make. We have to figure that out. We didn’t finish our opportunities at the plate or in the circle.”

[autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] put the Tigers on the board first with an RBI single to left field that was deep enough to score [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] to push Auburn ahead, 1-0, in the top of the 3rd inning. Texas A&M responded by hitting three home runs over the final three innings. Trinity Cannon tied the game in the 4th inning with a solo blast to center field, paving the way for Kylei Griffin to push the Aggies ahead with a two-run shot in the 5th.

The decisive blow took place in the 6th inning when Julia Cottrell hit a two-run home run to right-center field.

Widra led the team in hits with two. [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag], [autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag], [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag], and [autotag]Millie Roberts[/autotag] each collected a hit in the loss. [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] took the loss in the game after allowing three earned runs on three hits in five innings of work. [autotag]Malayna Tamborra[/autotag] and [autotag]Emmah Rolfe[/autotag] combined to pitch the final inning.

Auburn looks to avenge Friday’s loss on Saturday in game two of its weekend series at Texas A&M. Saturday’s game begins at 4:30 p.m. CT, and can be seen live on SEC Network.

RUNS HITS ERRORS LOB
No. 25 Auburn 1 6 0 7
No. 12 Texas A&M 5 5 1 1

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Auburn wins extra inning affair at Troy

The No. 25 Tigers needed 10 innings to do it, but they eventually earned a midweek win on the road.

The No. 25 Auburn Tigers needed three extra frames to do it, but they were able to pull off a midweek win on the road at Troy on Tuesday night.

After 10 innings of softball, Auburn’s winning run was scored on a throwing error by Troy catcher Emma Faulk. [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] took advantage of the errant throw by running home to give Auburn the 4-3 lead, a lead which ultimately stuck.

The Tigers held a lead over Troy on three occasions, and head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] was impressed with his team’s effort to keep fighting.

“It was just grit,” Dean said postgame. “To come on the road midweek after playing a three-game series and face a really good Troy team. We had to face the emotions of having the game won and then tying it up, having the game won and then tying it up. The good thing is that we kept working and never let them take the lead. That was key. Shelby (Lowe) had been paying attention throughout the game. She came in and threw the pitches she needed to shut them down.”

Auburn led 2-0 heading into the 5th inning thanks to a solo home run by [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] and an RBI single by [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] that led to a throwing error. The Trojans responded in the 6th inning on an infield single by Libby Baker, and Cassidy Boltz forced extra innings in the 7th by hitting a solo home run.

[autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] took advantage of another Trojan mishap in the 8th. She tripled and later scored on a throwing error to push Auburn back in front, 3-2. The lead was shortlived as Baker hit a sacrifice fly to center field deep enough to score Taylor McKinney to tie the game at 3-3.

[autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] earned the win in relief of [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] by striking out four batters and allowing two hits in two innings of work. Penta tossed eight innings, striking out 12 batters and allowing two earned runs on five hits.

Offensively, Auburn recorded nine hits with Wohlers and Tresvik each grabbing two.

The Tigers will travel to No. 12 Texas A&M to begin a three-game series in College Station. Game one of the series begins Friday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Auburn softball sweeps doubleheader of Northwestern and USC Upstate

After a rain delay saw Auburn softball’s tournament get delayed, the Tigers swept a doubleheader on Saturday against Northwestern and USC Upstate.

The Auburn Tigers continued their winning ways, coming back after a weather suspension on Friday to sweep a doubleheader on Saturday.

Auburn took on Northwestern and USC Upstate as part of the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament at Jane B. Moore Field. The first game of the day’s events saw a pitcher’s duel take place, with the Tigers taking the 1-0 win in the end. Auburn found its offense in game two, taking out USC Upstate 10-4.

Head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] made sure to show how proud he was of his pitchers when the games got put in tough spots.

“Just a phenomenal job in the circle from both Maddie (Penta) and Annabelle (Widra),” Dean said. “We found a way to win in that first game against a tough pitcher. We kept battling at the plate in that second game. I like how we continued to compete. Annabelle did a fantastic job giving us a chance to win that game.”

It took Auburn (10-2-1) a few innings before it was able to stick the only run of the game on the board against Northwestern (7-6). A [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] walk began the 4th inning, where she was then lifted for pinch runner Thalia Martin, who advanced to third on two later groundouts.

With two outs and the Wildcats close to getting out of the inning, [autotag]Aubrie Lisenby[/autotag] slapped a ball over to third, which then resulted in a throwing error by the Northwestern third baseman and a run scored by the Tigers.

While the Wildcats had a chance to tie it in the 7th with a runner on third, [autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] fielded a grounder and fired it to the plate where Lisenby protected the shutout.

The second game of the twin bill began positively for the Tigers as [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] drew a walk before giving way to [autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag], who hit an RBI double to give Auburn the early 1-0 lead over USC Upstate (8-8).

The Spartans then made a huge statement to open up the 2nd, as they quickly got the bases loaded before Denver Lauer sent a grand slam over the left field wall to give her a team a 4-1 lead.

What did the Tigers do as a result? Well, Rose Roach bunted for a single before [autotag]Skylar Elkins[/autotag] blasted a two-run home run to left field, cutting the deficit to one. It was Elkins’ first homer in her collegiate career.

Peralta hit a two-run shot of her own to give the Tigers the lead again in the 3rd, and Roach hit an infield single that would score [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] later in the inning. Auburn scored four in the 4th to put the nail in coffin, securing the 10-4 win.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] recorded her third-straight shutout in the win over Northwestern. She pitched the full seven innings, striking out 10, only walking one and only giving up four hits. [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] earned the win in the victory over USC Upstate, striking out four, giving up just one run and one hit in her 6.0 innings of relief for [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag].

On the offensive side, Lech and Roach were the only Tigers to have a multi-hit performance in either game. Lech ended the day at 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a double, while Roach finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and three singles.

Auburn looks to build on this success with another doubleheader on Sunday, taking on North Texas at 12 p.m. CT and USC Upstate in a rematch at 3 p.m. CT.

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Auburn softball: How to watch, stream, listen to the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament

Northwestern, North Texas, and USC Upstate embark on the Plains this weekend to compete in the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this weekend’s action.

Auburn softball hosts the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament this weekend at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn. If you are wondering how to watch, stream, or listen to the action live, you have come to the right place.

The Tigers earned an 8-0 win over Georgia State in six innings Thursday night, and will look to carry that momentum into the final weekend before SEC play begins. USC Upstate and North Texas will flock to Auburn this weekend to participate in the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament but the headliner of the weekend will be the Northwestern Wildcats, who competed in the Women’s College World Series last season.

This weekend’s slate will be a great appetizer for SEC play and head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] is excited about the challenge.

“These are teams that usually compete for their conference championships. It’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Dean said. “Of course, we get to deal with rain again. Hopefully, we’re able to get in some games and are really tested before we head into SEC play.”

Below, you will find key information ahead of this weekend’s action including a broadcast guide, Auburn’s potential starting lineup, and ticket prices.

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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Lowe, Widra combine to no-hit Southeast Missouri in Plainsman Invite opener

Auburn kicks off the weekend in dominating fashion as Shelby Lowe and Annabelle Widra combined to strike out nine batters in a run-rule affair.

After spending a successful weekend in Mexico, Auburn softball returned to the Plains on Friday to kick off the Plainsman Invite.

The Tigers used the momentum gained at the Puerto Vallarta College Classic last week to fuel a dominating performance against Southeast Missouri on Friday afternoon. [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] launched two home runs and locked down a no-hitter in the circle alongside [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] as Auburn defeated the Redhawks, 8-0, in five innings.

Lowe started the game in the circle and struck out seven batters over three innings of work. Widra, who started the game at shortstop, completed the final two innings by striking out two more batters. Head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] says that he was pleased with the way that Lowe, Widra, and the rest of the team took advantage of the opportunities given to them.

“Shelby (Lowe) had a lot of strikeouts and kept them way off balance. Annabelle (Widra) pitched perfection and then hit two home runs. There’s not a whole lot not to like. It’s important that we focus on those opportunities. I thought we did a nice job today. The players that we put into the game took advantage of what was in front of them.”

[autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] joined Widra by recording multiple hits in the game by adding two to Auburn’s total of nine. Amelia Lech drove in two runs on a double in the 4th inning while [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag], [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag], and [autotag]Riley McNemar[/autotag] each added one RBI.

The weekend schedule has been altered due to what Auburn softball has referred to as “unforseen circumstances” that has forced Longwood to exit the Plainsman Invite. Auburn will now face Northern Iowa at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, and will meet Southeast Missouri in a rematch at 4 p.m. CT before concluding the weekend with Northern Iowa on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. Saturday’s games are still slated to be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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