Auburn finishes off the Tiger Invitational with an undefeated record.
The No. 21 Tigers improved their record to 13-3 after defeating Villanova 11-1 and Troy 3-1 on Sunday. Auburn entered Sunday's doubleheader after having already beaten Villanva, Eastern Illinois once and North Dakota State twice.
“In three days, six games and four within 24 hours, it's brutal,” said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean.
In the bottom of the first Auburn’s Kendall Veach hit an RBI single to bring home Taylon Snow after Villanova pitcher Paige Rauch hit a solo shot. Veach would later break the pair's 1-1 tie with a home run down center field in the fourth inning.
In the fifth inning, Taylon Snow hit a single to send Bree Foynis home, giving the Tigers a 3-1 lead. On the following play, Morgan Podany advanced home after a wild pitch by Rauch.
In the bottom of the sixth, Aspyn Godwin hit a three-run home run, the first home run of her career, that extended Auburn's lead to 7-1. Snow would follow Godwin's three RBIs later in the inning with a walk-off grand slam.
Snow’s grand slam was the first of her career, the program's first walk-off grand slam since April 29, 2017, and the second game ending in a run-rule this weekend for the Tigers.
Casey McCrackin failed to get on base against the Wildcats, ending her 27 game on-base streak that extended back to last season.
Following the win over the Wildcats, the Tigers faced Troy. Troy came into the meeting 3-1 in the Tiger Invitational, only losing to North Dakota State on Friday.
The Trojans came in with a 12-4 record while ranking third in the Sun Belt conference.
“I knew it was going to be a grind,” Dean said. “They came into the game rested, we played last night, and they’re a good team.”
Troy opened with an RBI single by Katie Webb for an early 1-0 lead.
Auburn's offense was cold until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Justus Perry hit a three-run home run, her second home run on the season, to give Auburn its first and final lead of the day.
Makayla Martin finished a complete game with six strikeouts and four hits in the win after allowing just one run.
“I faced her in high school, so it was kind of a little bit of a throwback,” Perry said of Martin. “I just took my mind back and thought about doing this for Makayla because she threw a hell of a game like always.”
Dean had similar praise.
“Your great pitchers win when they don’t have their best stuff,” Dean said. “She had late strikeouts, which really took the pressure off the defense.”
After the game Martin, laughed about her performance, saying how she thought it wasn't up to her standards.
“Hopefully it’s the last really bad one,” Martin said.
Auburn finished 6-0 in the Tiger Invitational, improving to 13-3 on the year. The Tigers will next travel to Fullerton, California for the Judi Garman Classic, where they will first play Loyola Marymount on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. CST.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
