Tag: SEC Softball

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 checks in at No. 25 in USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll for third straight week

The Tigers hang on to a top 25 ranking ahead of this weekend’s road trip to Texas A&M.

Auburn softball had another tough SEC weekend by dropping two of three at home to Arkansas at Jane B. Moore Field. The series loss, although detrimental to its place in the SEC standings, had zero effect on Auburn’s position in the coaches’ poll rankings.

The Tigers begin the week at No. 25 in the latest USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, a place they have been for the last three weeks. The series win over Auburn boosted Arkansas to No. 18, a two-spot increase from last week’s update.

This week, Auburn travels west to Texas A&M to battle the Aggies, one of the hottest teams in the SEC. The Aggies took two of three from Mississippi State over the weekend to improve its record to 25-3. The series win over the Bulldogs lifts Texas A&M one spot to No. 12.

The SEC remains one of the toughest conferences in the nation, as 11 of its 13 programs hold a spot in this week’s coaches poll.

Complete week seven rankings from USA TODAY/NCFA

Rank Team Record Points Last Week
1 Oklahoma 27-1 794 1
2 LSU 24-1 771 2
3 Texas 24-3 727 3
4 Oklahoma State 24-3 692 4
5 Georgia 23-4 666 5
6 Duke 22-2 637 6
7 Tennessee 22-4 610 8
8 Washington 20-4 584 7
9 Stanford 22-5 545 9
10 Florida 25-4 512 10
11 Clemson 21-6 461 12
12 Texas A&M 25-3 432 13
13 Alabama 22-5 392 14
14 UCLA 17-6 371 15
15 Missouri 22-6 369 11
16 Virginia Tech 21-4-1 306 18
17 Florida State 21-4 293 15
18 Arkansas 22-6 245 20
19 California 21-7 193 17
20 Mississippi State 21-6 190 21
21 Arizona 20-7-1 130 22
22 Baylor 16-8 101 19
23 South Carolina 21-7 78 23
24 Boston University 20-3 66 24
25 Auburn 14-6-1 59 25

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon (55), Louisiana (43), Kansas (40), Kentucky (25), Texas State (19), Miami (6), Grand Canyon (1).

Dropped Out

None

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Alabama moves up in latest USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll Top 25

Alabama softball continues to trend upward in the latest national softball top-25 rankings!

With some late-game heroics, Alabama softball avoided the sweep against No. 5 Georgia on the road and will now look to bounce back with a few non-conference games before getting back into SEC play.

The Crimson Tide will face Samford and UAB at home over the next few days and then host No. 16 Virginia Tech.

In the latest rankings, Patrick Murphy and his team move up a single spot despite the recent losses. This team has top-10 potential and has plenty of time left in the season to make significant progress in the rankings.

Playing in the SEC, Alabama will be tested over the next couple of weeks with some intense in-conference competition. In the latest rankings, the Tide find themselves a the sixth-highest-ranked SEC program.

Keep in mind that next season, Oklahoma and Texas will join the conference. They rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in the latest top-25.

Check out the full USA TODAY/NFCA Softball Coaches Poll.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Oklahoma 27-1 794 (26) –
2 LSU 24-1 771 (6) –
3 Texas 24-3 727 –
4 Oklahoma State 24-3 692 –
5 Georgia 13-4 666 –
6 Duke 22-2 637 –
7 Tennessee 22-4 610 +1
8 Washington 20-4 584 -1
9 Stanford 22-5 545 –
10 Florida 25-4 512 –
11 Clemson 21-6 461 +1
12 Texas A&M 25-3 432 +1
13 Alabama 22-5 392 +1
14 UCLA 17-6 371 +1
15 Missouri 22-6 369 -4
16 Virginia Tech 21-4-1 306 +2
17 Florida State 18-8 280 -1
18 Arkansas 22-6 245 +2
19 California 21-7 193 -2
20 Mississippi State 21-6 190 +1
21 Arizona 20-7-1 130 +1
22 Baylor 16-8 101 -3
23 USC 21-7 78 –
24 Boston University 20-3 66 –
25 Auburn 14-6-1 59 –

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon (55), Louisiana (43), Kansas (40), Kentucky (25), Texas State (19), Miami (6), Grand Canyon (1).

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama softball as the 2024 season progresses.

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Auburn stays put in latest USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Coaches Poll

The Tigers look to gain ground in the coaches poll this weekend by hosting No. 20 Arkansas in a top-25 series at Jane B. Moore Field.

The first weekend of SEC play did not bounce the way Auburn had hoped, as they dropped two of three games to Missouri on the road.

However, the series loss did not affect Auburn’s place in the rankings. They remain the nation’s No. 25 team in this week’s USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Auburn is one of 10 SEC teams residing in this week’s poll. LSU is the SEC’s leader at No. 2 after sweeping No. 23 Kentucky to open SEC play and ran its record to 22-0. Because of the sweep, the Wildcats dropped out of this week’s poll. Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida round out the SEC’s representation in the top 10. The Gators jumped three places to No. 10 after winning two games over Alabama in Tuscaloosa to open SEC play.

Missouri is outside the top 10 at No. 11 and could crack the top 10 next week with a great showing at No. 8 Tennessee this weekend. Texas A&M is next at No. 13 and is poised for a big series this weekend at No. 21 Mississippi State. No. 14 Alabama looks to shake off its series loss to Florida by making a statement at No. 5 Georgia beginning Friday.

The final notable SEC series of the weekend involves Auburn, as the No. 25 Tigers host No. 20 Arkansas for a three-game set at Jane B. Moore Field.

Complete week one rankings from USA TODAY/NCFA

Rank Team Record Points Last Week
1 Oklahoma 22-1 791 1
2 LSU 22-0 769 3
3 Texas 21-2 738 2
4 Oklahoma State 20-3 680 4
5 Georgia 20-3 646 7
6 Duke 19-1 638 6
7 Washington 18-3 617 5
8 Tennessee 18-4 586 8
9 Stanford 18-4 558 9
10 Florida 21-3 490 13
11 Missouri 20-3 466 12
12 Clemson 17-6 415 10
13 Texas A&M 23-2 392 17
14 Alabama 19-3 366 11
15 UCLA 14-6 336 16
16 Florida State 15-5 299 14
17 California 21-4 293 15
18 Virginia Tech 18-3-1 264 20
19 Baylor 14-5 255 19
20 Arkansas 20-5 209 18
21 Mississippi State 19-4 150 24
22 Arizona 19-5-1 106 21
23 South Carolina 18-5 84 22
24 Boston University 17-1 68 NR
25 Auburn 13-4-1 59 25

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon (51), Kentucky (45), Louisiana (16), Texas State (6), Grand Canyon (4), Miami (3).

Dropped Out

No. 23 Kentucky

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Auburn blanks Missouri to take final game of series

Amelia Lech smashed two home runs while Maddie Penta struck out seven batters in Auburn’s 4-0 win over Missouri on Sunday.

SEC play did not begin as No. 25 Auburn had hoped, but they managed to salvage a win in its weekend slate at Missouri on Sunday.

[autotag]Amelia Lech[/autotag] smashed two home runs while [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] struck out seven batters in a complete game effort in Auburn’s 4-0 win over Missouri on Sunday at Mizzou Softball Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Auburn (13-4-1) only recorded one hit through the first two innings before breaking matters open in the 3rd frame. [autotag]Abbey Smith[/autotag] began the inning with a bunt single and moved into scoring position one at-bat later, setting up [autotag]Makayla Packer[/autotag] for a scoring opportunity. Packer delivered by securing a triple to left field to score Smith and putting Auburn ahead, 1-0.

Auburn’s final three runs came off the bat of Lech, who hit a solo shot in the 4th inning and delivered the final blow by hitting a two-run blast in the 6th inning.

Lech was joined by Smith and [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag] by recording multiple hits in the game while Packer, KK McCrary, Icess Tresvik, and Rose Roach contributed to Auburn’s 10 total hits.

In the circle, Penta avenged Friday’s loss by allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters in seven full innings. Overall, head coach Mickey Dean was pleased with his team’s ability to bounce back from two tough losses.

“We did a nice job of making adjustments at the plate,” Dean said postgame. “Our defense played sharp. (Penta) hit her spots. We had a game plan that everyone was able to stick with. It ended up being a great day.”

The Tigers return to Jane B. Moore Field next weekend to face Bri Ellis and the Arkansas Razorbacks for a three-game SEC set. First pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on Friday.

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Recap: Auburn softball gets blanked by Missouri

After losing game one of its SEC opening series, Auburn softball gets shut out in game two, officially losing the series to Missouri.

It was another unfortunate day for Auburn softball, as the No. 25 Tigers were shut out in game two of the three-game series against No. 12 Missouri on Saturday, making Auburn 0-2 to start SEC play by falling, 5-0.

After a dazzling performance from Missouri’s Laurin Krings led the girls from Columbia to a win in the opening game, it was Cierra Harrison (7-0) who stole the show in this game, putting together yet another impressive performance in the circle.

Missouri got the scoring started early in the 1st, when Jenna Laird scored on a wild pitch after singling to start the game and being advanced on a later double.

That offense continued in the 2nd, trying to wear Auburn out early. It started with Katie Chester sending a double into right field. She advanced to third when Madison Walker reached on an error.

Chantice Phillips then sent a ball into right center that would not be returning to the field, hitting a three-run home run to make it a 4-0 Missouri lead.

After a double and a strikeout, Alex Honnold sent an RBI single into center field, increasing the score to 5-0 in favor of the gold and black.

The scoring ended following the early offensive surge by Missouri. Unfortunately for Auburn, it never found a groove and never recovered.

Harrison picked up the win for her squad, pitching a complete game and striking out nine. She gave up no runs on five hits, keeping her undefeated season going.

[autotag]Annabelle Widra[/autotag] pitched 1.1 innings while giving up five runs on five hits. Only one of those runs was earned. [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] and [autotag]Emma Rolfe[/autotag] finished the game in relief, preventing any more damage.

[autotag]Rose Roach[/autotag] was the only one who picked up multiple hits for Auburn, hitting two singles.

The girls from the Plains will attempt to end the series on a positive note in Sunday’s series finale. First pitch is set for noon.

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Maddie Penta earns Pitcher of the Week honors from D1Softball

Auburn’s ace is earning national attention after a dominant week in the circle.

Auburn RHP [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] had a week that many college pitchers dream of.

Last week, she took the circle three times and allowed six hits while striking out 34 batters over 19 innings. She has also built a nice streak of not allowing a run over her last four appearances and has allowed just one run over her last six outings.

The national media has taken notice of Penta’s recent hot streak. D1Softball has included Penta in its weekly awards by naming her national Pitcher of the Week. D1Softball’s staff broke down Penta’s amazing week in the circle.

Currently riding a 27-inning scoreless streak, Penta threw three consecutive complete-game shutouts in week four. But she took things up a notch along the way. Against Georgia State in a midweek matchup, Penta threw the third perfect game in Auburn program history, not allowing a single GSU player to reach base. She reached double-digit strikeouts in each of her three outings on the week, a streak of its own that is now at five consecutive games. For her efforts in week four, Penta owned a 0.00 ERA and allowed six hits while striking out 34 and holding opponents to a .098 batting average.

Penta will look to continue her dominant streak this weekend as Auburn travels to No. 12 Missouri to begin SEC play this Friday.

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Auburn softball returns to top 25 in latest USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll

The Tigers are back where they belong in the coaches poll ahead of an important weekend at Missouri.

After a successful week of earning five wins, Auburn softball returns to a favorable place within the USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The Tigers will open SEC play this weekend at Missouri and will do so as a top-25 team. Auburn re-enters the USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll after being skipped the last two weeks by checking in at No. 25.

Auburn returns after earning five wins over Georgia State, Northwestern, USC Upstate, and North Texas last week. The return to the top 25 is due mostly to Auburn’s pitching. Ace [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] recorded a perfect game in Auburn’s win over Georgia State last Thursday and struck out 34 batters over 19 innings of work.

The Tigers are one of 12 SEC teams ranked in this week’s poll, with Ole Miss being the lone team from the conference not cutting. LSU is the SEC’s top representative, checking in at No. 3 and boasting a 19-0 record. Georgia and Tennessee also make up the top 10.

This weekend’s opponent, Missouri, is at No. 12 this week after winning four games between Nebraska and Wichita State last weekend.

Complete week one rankings from USA TODAY/NCFA

Rank Team Record Points Last Week
1 Oklahoma 18-1 790 1
2 Texas 17-1 769 2
3 LSU 19-0 718 4
4 Oklahoma State 17-2 696 3
5 Washington 16-2 641 6
6 Duke 16-1 623 7
7 Georgia 15-3 606 5
8 Tennessee 12-4 536 9
9 Stanford 13-4 531 11
10 Clemson 12-4 488 8
11 Alabama 19-1 474 10
12 Missouri 17-2 456 14
13 Florida 19-2 427 13
14 Florida State 11-4 317 12
15 California 19-2 427 13
16 UCLA 11-6 398 18
17 Texas A&M 19-2 274 17
18 Arkansas 17-4 253 15
19 Baylor 11-3 218 21
20 Virginia Tech 15-3-1 205 23
21 Arizona 17-3-1 177 19
22 South Carolina 18-2 173 22
23 Kentucky 13-4 142 16
24 Mississippi State 17-3 133 24
25 Auburn 12-2-1 40 NR

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon (25), Boston University (24), Miami (16), Louisiana (15), Northwestern (11), Penn State (9), Utah (9).

Dropped Out

No. 25 Oregon

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