A day after putting up four runs against UCF, Auburn was held scoreless in a 1-0 loss to Kennesaw State in Saturday’s elimination game at the Tallahassee Regional.
The Owls got on the board in the bottom of the first inning after loading the bases with no outs. Kennesaw State grounded out into a double play, but it was enough to score one run.
After giving up one run, Shelby Lowe kept the Owls scoreless through the final five frames as she pitched a complete game.
At the plate, Auburn managed just one hit against Kennesaw State’s pitching.
“We gave up a couple hits early, but I thought we did a nice job to force the double play ball and get a strikeout to end the first,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “I thought that was going to give us momentum going forward. The next couple of innings, we had a runner in scoring position but just couldn’t get her home.”
Makenna Dowell had the Tigers’ lone hit of the day in the top of the second. Dowell’s ball ricocheted off the fielder’s glove, and she reached first safely.
Auburn advanced Dowell to second with a sacrifice but left her stranded.
Besides just the lone hit for the Tigers, Alyssa Rivera and Dowell both reached base on walks in Saturday’s game.
Lowe allowed six hits, one run, one walk and struck out three in her six innings of work.
The freshman pitcher finished her first season with a 13-11 record. Her 1.48 ERA is the second-lowest by an Auburn freshman in program history. The 1.48 ERA is also sixth in single-season history for the Tigers.
The Carrollton, Alabama, native finished the season with 179 strikeouts, the second-most by an Auburn freshman and 10th in single-season history.
Lowe set the single-season program record for the fewest walks allowed per seven innings with a 1.18 average. She finished the season with 15 complete games, which ranks her 10th in program single-season history.
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Jake Weese, senior in journalism with a minor in history, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
