Tag: Nelia Peralta

Titan takedown: Auburn earns win in Clemson Regional opener

The Tigers advance to the winners bracket of the Clemson Regional by crushing Cal State Fullerton on Friday.

Auburn Softball entered the Clemson Regional with a chip on its’ shoulder after just missing the opportunity to host an NCAA regional.

In the Clemson Regional opener on Friday, Auburn took out its’ frustrations on Cal State Fullerton. The Tigers used an eight-hit effort, plus a big swing by Bri Ellis, to earn a 12-2 run-rule win over the Titans on Friday at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson.

Head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] says that his team used a “stay where your feet are” approach to the game with Cal State Fullerton, which paid off.

“We weren’t looking forward,  we weren’t looking backward. We were focused on today’s game, and we stayed there the entire five innings,” Dean said Friday. “We didn’t carry any bricks. If we made a mistake, we just moved forward. That’s what it is all about. It’s about your teammate having your back, trusting in your teammates, and believing in your teammates. That’s when you can go out on the field and play free and easy.”

Auburn struck first in the bottom of the 1st inning on a pair of RBI by [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] to give Auburn the 2-0 lead. In the 2nd inning, Bri Ellis answered Fullerton’s RBI single by crushing a grad slam to extend the lead to 6-0. The grand slam would be Ellis’ lone official at-bat, as she would walk twice and get hit by a pitch throughout the remainder of the game.

Makayla Packer would score two runs over the next two innings on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. McCrary and Garcia scored their second runs of the day, while [autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] would score the games final runs in the 4th inning to seal the win.

Auburn ended the day with eight total hits and four players would end the game with multiple RBI. That bodes well for Auburn, as they shut down Myka Sutherlin, who entered the weekend with 227 strikeouts, which was 10th best in the country. Sutherlin ended the game by allowing five hits and seven runs while issuing three walks, and striking out just one batter.

“We just stuck to our plan,” McCrary said after the game. “We talked about the changeup. We attacked that early in the count. I just approach the plate when I’m facing two outs like I have nothing to lose. We know we belong here. We’re trying to take a few games.”

Maddie Penta got the win for the Tigers by tossing 4.0 innings and allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out three batters. [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] struck out a batter in her lone inning of relief.

Auburn now advances to the winners bracket to face host Clemson, who defeated UNC Greensboro, 17-2 on Friday. First pitch is set for noon CT on ESPN.

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Auburn softball enters Clemson Regional with ‘extra motivation’

After missing a chance to host a regional this season, the Auburn Tigers are driven to make a statement in Clemson.

When it came to picking a regional host, the No. 16 Auburn Tigers had a resume worthy of such honor. However, the NCAA Tournament selection committee failed to share those sentiments, thus moving Auburn into the traveling category.

Auburn will compete in the Clemson Regional, hosted by the No. 16 overall seed, Clemson. Should Auburn come out of the weekend on top, their next destination would be Norman, Oklahoma to face the postseason’s top overall seed.

D1Softball’s Rhiannon Potkey understands Auburn’s frustrations and feels that the orange and blue Tigers will have extra drive heading into the weekend.

The Tigers certainly have enough reasons to be miffed by their placing in the bracket. Not only did the committee not give Auburn a national seed, they sent the Tigers back to Clemson for the second straight season. Auburn beat Alabama and LSU head-to-head in SEC play, and both squads received national seeds over the Tigers. If they needed extra motivation, they got it.

This bracket will not be a breeze for any team, as the Clemson Regional features three of the game’s top pitchers in Auburn’s Maddie Penta, Clemson’s Valerie Cagle, and Cal State Fullerton’s Myka Sutherlin. Auburn’s performance against regional hosts such as Alabama and LSU should boost Auburn’s chances of winning the regional, as Potkey has predicted that Auburn will upset Clemson for the weekend victory.

Potkey likes Auburn’s chances should they get past Cal State Fullerton on Friday.

The Tigers have plenty of pop in the lineup, led by [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag], [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag], and [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] among others. Auburn is 1-2 all-time in games against Cal State Fullerton. The two teams last met in Fullerton in 2015 with the Titans beating Auburn 3-2. That is where Auburn will start. They are just hoping for a better finish than the last trip to Clemson.

Auburn’s run to the Women’s College World Series begins Friday at 4:30 when the Tigers face Cal State Fullerton at McWhorter Stadium.

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Maddie Penta earns SEC Pitcher of the Year honor

Penta wins the award after winning 20 games and striking out more than 250 batters in two straight seasons.

For the first time in program history, an Auburn Tiger has been named SEC Pitcher of the Year.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag], a junior from Chesapeake City, Maryland, won the award after putting together an impressive season that ranks among the best in SEC history as well as program history.

Penta finished the year with a 1.12 ERA, a 25-5 record, 16 complete games, and 283 strikeouts to 45 walks. She appeared in 38 games this season and started 32 of them, picking up three saves along the way. The ace right-hander logged 200.1 innings of work this season.

Additionally, Penta was named All-SEC First Team for the second year in a row, the first Tiger to do that since [autotag]Kasey Cooper[/autotag] in 2015-2016. Penta also earned Auburn’s first SEC All-Defensive Team selection since [autotag]Casey McCrackin[/autotag] in 2019.

The Tigers were carried by Penta in conference play, as Penta led them to their highest finish in league play since 2017. She is the first Tiger to record back-to-back seasons with more than 20 wins and more than 250 strikeouts since [autotag]Anna Thompson[/autotag] in 2009-2010.

Penta’s record-setting season also included having the lowest ERA in an SEC season and leading all pitchers with more than 65 innings pitched with a 1.02. Her six shutouts in SEC play tied [autotag]Kristen Keyes[/autotag]’ 2004 season for most in program history.

[autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] and [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] also earned All-SEC honors, being named to the league’s second team.

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Auburn closes regular season by winning series over Mississippi State

A stellar day by Maddie Penta and two home runs were the difference in Auburn’s 3-0 victory.

The No. 17 Auburn Tigers ended the regular season on a high note on Sunday by shutting out Mississippi State, 3-0, behind another stellar performance by [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag].

The junior began the game by singing her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.  By the end of it, she walked off the field with an eight-strikeout, shutout performance in the circle to lift her team to a victory. She beat her pregame nerves on Sunday in order to establish a win.

“The national anthem definitely got my nerves worked up more than pitching did,” Penta said Sunday. “It was the biggest audience I have ever sung for. I was nervous, but really excited to do something I love for our seniors on their day.”

In a day dominated by pitching and defense, Penta won the battle with Mississippi State starter Reis Beuerlein by allowing just one hit in her complete game effort while walking just three batters. Penta’s lone hit allowed came in the very first at-bat by the Bulldogs when leadoff batter Chloe Malau’ulu hit a single to center field on the second pitch of the game. Penta would walk one more batter in the inning, but all three outs of the initial stanza resulted in strikeouts.

Auburn’s three runs came via the home run, with [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] getting the scoring started with a solo blast to dead center in the 3rd inning. Her unique home run put the Tigers up, 1-0.

“I was trying to get a pitch to drive, and I did,” Peralta said of her home run. “Credit to the centerfielder because she made a nice play on it, but I’m glad it got over.”

Senior [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] would hit a home run in her final game at Jane B. Moore Field. Her two-run blast in the 4th inning would extend Auburn’s lead to 3-0, which would be the final blow for the Tigers.

Now that the regular season has concluded, Auburn’s next stop will be Fayetteville, Arkansas for the SEC Softball Tournament beginning Tuesday. The Tigers get a favorable draw by earning the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will play the winner of No. 6 LSU vs. No. 11 Ole Miss on Thursday at 10 a.m. CT.

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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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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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Auburn holds on to take game one from LSU

Auburn used a pair of home runs and a strong outing from Maddie Penta to pick up the win.

The No. 21 Auburn Tigers were able to overcome a late rally by No. 13 LSU to take the series opener 5-3 Friday night at Jane B. Moore Field.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] shut out LSU for the first six innings but their bats came alive in the seventh inning as they hit two home runs to cut Auburn’s lead to 5-3. She found her groove after that to retire the next two batters and end the game.

Auburn’s ace improved to 19-5 with her 10th complete game of the season. She allowed three runs on six hits and struck out five batters and did not issue a walk.

Auburn (31-12, 8-5 SEC) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] hit a two-run homer to left.

“I don’t care where I am at in the lineup,” Garcia said. “I’m just trying to score runs, come up big for my team and make things happen. For me, 0-2 means nothing. I approach every pitch like the count is 0-0. I’m locked in and trying find a strike to hit hard.”

[autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] made it a 3-0 game in the fourth when she drove in [autotag]Skylar Elkins[/autotag], who pinch-ran for [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] after she doubled.

The Tigers once again used the long ball to add on in the fifth after [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] led the inning off with a single. [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] belted a two-run homer of her own to make it 5-0 and drive in what would end up being the deciding runs.

“I was battling in my two previous at-bats, so I was focused on doing my job to move the runner on second,” Peralta said. “The pitcher made a mistake, and it worked out for me.”

Auburn will go for the series win Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.

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McCrary leads Auburn to win over Troy

KK McCrary had two hits and three RBIs in the win.

Auburn fell into an early 2-0 hole against the Troy Trojans but [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] and Auburn battled back to earn a 7-5 win over the Trojans Wednesday night at Jane B. Moore Field.

The Tigers are now 30-12 on the season and 12-2 at home.

The Trojans hit a two-run home run in the top of the first to strike first but the Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning. McCrary doubled to score [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] and then came around to score on a [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] double that also drove in [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag] and gave Auburn a 3-2 lead.

“I thought we hit the ball well, ran the bases well, and I thought we played good defense,” head coach [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag] said. “The key is always to answer back, and I thought we were able to do that. When you answer back, it keeps the momentum on your side. We knew they were going to come in here ready. They didn’t play well at their place, and they’re a really good team. We knew they were going to come in here tonight ready to play.”

Troy tied it up in the second inning with a solo home run. After allowing three runs on two homers in the first two innings, Penta settled in and took over. Auburn’s ace allowed three runs over five innings and struck out seven batters.

The Tigers retook the lead in the third inning when Auburn hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] came around to score on an error and [autotag]Icess Tresvik[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly to give Auburn a 5-3 lead.

Auburn got some more breathing room in the fourth when McCrary hit a two-RBI single to make it 7-3. She finished the game with two hits and three RBIs.

“It felt great to get a win,” McCrary said. “They’re a good team. We’ve been working on hitting in high-pressure situations in practice, so I was really happy that I was able to come through for my team.”

Those runs proved crucial as the Trojans scored one run in the sixth and seventh inning to make it a 7-5 game.

The Tigers will return to SEC play this Friday when they host LSU at Jane B. Moore Field.

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Bri Ellis’ 1st inning blast propels Auburn over Florida

The Tigers avoid a sweep in Gainesville thanks to Ellis’ 1st inning homer.

The No. 19 Auburn Tigers played No. 15 Florida close all weekend, but could not muster a win in the series’ first two games.

On Saturday, the Tigers took advantage of several Gator miscues to grab a 7-0 win in game three of the set to salvage a win in the series.

It was not a busy day offensively for Auburn, as the Tigers only recorded three hits, two of which came in the 1st inning and led to Auburn’s first four runs.

Auburn began the game with two base runners as [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag] led off the game by taking a walk and [autotag]Aubrey Lisenby[/autotag] reached base on a single. Following a foul out by [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] put the Tigers on the board by scoring Peralta on a single to put Auburn up, 1-0.

[autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] followed suit by crushing the second pitch of her at-bat over the left-center field wall to clear the bases and extended Auburn’s lead to 4-0 with one out in the 1st inning.

The scoreboard remained quiet until the final inning when Auburn scored three runs on two Florida errors. After Florida pitcher Lexie Delbrie hit two batters in the inning, the Gator offense committed two back-to-back errors. The first error was by Delbrie on a sacrifice attempt by Abbey Smith that scored Jessie Blaine. The following error was on 2nd baseman Reagan Walsh on a ground ball by Bryant. The fielding blunder allowed Smith and Lisenby to score and extend Auburn’s lead to 7-0.

Only three Tigers recorded hits in the game, but Ellis’ three-run home run in the 1st inning made the most noise. The Gators, like Auburn, did not have a player record multiple hits, but would end the game with four total, and would leave six runners on base.

[autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] had another stellar outing in the circle by striking out 10 batters and walking just two in a complete-game effort.

Auburn will return to Jane B. Moore Field on Wednesday to host in-state foe, Troy, at 6 p.m. CT. The mid-week clash with the Trojans will be a great appetizer for yet another crucial SEC series with LSU next weekend. The Bayou Bengals recently took two of three from Missouri in Baton Rouge.

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