Tag: Nelia Peralta

Recap: Auburn softball’s comeback falls short in game two with Ole Miss

After a game one win on Friday, Auburn softball’s comeback falls short, evening the series with Ole Miss in game two

Auburn softball looked to continue momentum on Saturday evening, trying to win the series over Ole Miss. The Tigers won a pitcher’s duel on Friday in extra innings and wanted to rebound after a long night.

That attempt was not successful, though, as the Rebels evened the series with a 4-2 victory, despite the late surge by Auburn.

The Tigers got things going early on in the game, scoring in the top of the 1st. After [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] both singled in their plate appearances, [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored McCrary with one out, making it a 1-0 ball game.

Nothing else happened until the 3rd inning came around. With a runner on third base and two outs, Jalia Lassiter reached and advanced to second after a throwing error, scoring the first Ole Miss run.

Jaden Pone followed that up with a single into center, scoring Lassiter and giving the Rebels a 2-1 lead.

Ole Miss continued momentum in the 4th. After a strikeout led off the inning, Aynslie Furbush launched a home run over the center field wall to stretch the lead to two runs.

Delaney Rummell and Angelina DeLeon reached the corner bases immediately following this, which set up Jamie Mackay to hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Rummell and making it 4-1.

Auburn did not give up fight despite a quiet next couple of innings. The 7th showed a large fight put up by the Tigers.

[autotag]Chalea Clemmons[/autotag] singled to left field to lead things off. [autotag]Mariah Penta[/autotag] came in to run for Clemmons, and advanced to second on a passed ball.

[autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag] then drew a four-pitch walk, followed by a walk from McCrary later in the inning to load the bases with just one out.

[autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] fouled out deep enough to left field to score Penta, making it 4-2 with two gone. Peralta then ground out right after the RBI, ending the game and the chance to win the series in game two for the Tigers.

[autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] picked up the loss, dropping to 4-3 on the season. She pitched four full innings for the night, giving up four runs on three hits, while striking out three.

Brianna Lopez earned the win for the Rebels. She pitched five innings in the game, giving up one run on three hits. She also struck out eight and walked three.

The series will come down to game three in Oxford on Sunday. First pitch is set for noon CST, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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.

 

Recap: Auburn picks up pair of wins in War Eagle Classic

The Auburn softball team put on a show in front of a large pre-A Day crowd with a pair of wins in the War Eagle Classic.

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

 

Pitch Perfect: Auburn tops Samford behind dominant effort in the circle

Three Auburn pitchers combine to reach perfection in Wednesday’s run-rule victory over Samford.

For the fourth time in program history, Auburn softball reached perfection in Wednesday’s win over Samford.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag], [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag], and [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] combined to strikeout 10 Samford batters while not allowing a baserunner in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the Bulldogs at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

Penta grabbed the start in Wednesday’s win and continued her dominating season by striking out five of the nine batters she faced over three innings of work. Lowe put in an inning of relief work, where she struck out two batters. Widra slammed the door by recording three straight strikeouts to secure the victory.

“They hit their spots really nice tonight,” Dean said postgame. “In five innings, we threw like 65 pitches. That’s just really effective work. Our defense did well. We scored all eight runs with two outs. That’s always a good sign.”

Not only did Auburn record all eight runs with two outs, but all runs came on multi-base hits. [autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag] smashed her 9th home run of the season in the 1st inning to put Auburn ahead early, 3-0. [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] followed suit in the 2nd inning by crushing a two-run shot of her own to extend the Tigers’ lead to 5-0.

Later in the inning, [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] drove home [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] with an RBI double. The final blow came in the 3rd inning when Packer scored two runs on a multi-RBI triple.

Auburn recorded seven hits in the contest, with [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] and McCrary making two hits from the top of the lineup.

Auburn steps away from SEC play this weekend to host Georgia Tech and Louisiana Tech for the War Eagle Classic. The weekend begins Friday at 2 p.m. CT when the Tigers face Louisiana Tech.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn softball tops North Texas, USC Upstate to complete undefeated weekend

The Tigers ended the Jane B. Moore Memorial by outscoring North Texas and USC Upstate, 16-4, on Sunday.

After earning two wins in Saturday’s action, the Auburn Tigers (12-2-1) closed the Jane B. Moore Memorial by grabbing two more wins on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers had no issue with North Texas in the first game of the day, as they used a late-inning power surge to take a run-rule victory. In game two, Auburn needed a walk-off grand slam off the bat of Makayla Packer to earn the win over USC Upstate.

Head coach Mickey Dean was ecstatic over his team’s efforts on Sunday, especially in the final at-bat of the win over USC Upstate.

“That was fun,” Dean said Sunday. “We had some kids try to put forth some great efforts today. Even in the innings we didn’t score, we put pressure on them. Pressure tends to do funny things. We kept the pressure on. Makayla (Packer) was ready. She knew exactly what’s going to happen there. She knew exactly what the pitcher was going to try to do. She capitalized. It was beautiful.”

Here is a rundown of how Sunday’s action played out at Jane B. Moore Field.

Game one: Auburn 8 North Texas 0 (6 innings)

Runs Hits Errors LOB
North Texas 0 2 1 2
Auburn 8 9 0 1

Neither team could muster a run through the first three innings. That changed in the 4th inning when [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly to score [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] to put Auburn ahead, 1-0. It would not take long for Auburn’s bats to warm up, as they rattled off seven runs over the next two innings to take home the run-rule victory. Wohlers and [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] each hit two-run blasts in the 5th inning and [autotag]Mariah Penta[/autotag] ended the game with a three-run shot to left center field.

Packer and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] each recorded two hits in the game while Wohlers and Penta drove in three runs. [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] was strong in the circle yet again by striking out 11 batters and allowing two hits in a six-inning effort. She has now pitched 27 consecutive innings without allowing a run. Penta has also struck out 45 batters while allowing just six hits over her last four games.

Game two: Auburn 8 USC Upstate 4

Runs Hits Errors LOB
USC Upstate 4 8 2 5
Auburn 8 9 0 2

The final game of the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament was a battle where Auburn ultimately prevailed. Wohlers continued her hot day at the plate by driving in two runs to put the Tigers up, 2-0, in the 1st inning. However, the Spartans answered by scoring four runs over the next two innings to lead 4-2 heading to the 5th inning. [autotag]Skylar Elkins[/autotag] cut into the lead by hitting her first home run of the season in the 5th, and [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] tied the game in the 6th inning with an RBI single. The final blow came off the bat of Packer, who crushed a walk-off grand slam to end the game.

[autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] earned the win by tossing a two-hit, one-strikeout performance over the final inning and a third. [autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] allowed three hits and three earned runs in the start while [autotag]Malayna Tamborra[/autotag] recorded four innings of relief work.

Next Game

Auburn will get one final midweek tuneup before traveling to Columbia to open SEC play this weekend at Missouri. The Tigers will host Troy on Tuesday at Jane B. Moore Field for a 5:30 p.m. CT first pitch.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__