After finishing 5-1 on a road trip that went through Clearwater, Florida, and Jacksonville, Alabama, No. 21 Auburn (10-1) returns home to Jane B. Moore Field for a five-game stand in the Plainsman Invite. Here is more information on the matchups the Tigers have scheduled in the weekend series:
Friday
To start off the weekend, Auburn welcomes ULM to the Plains on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CST. The Warhawks sit at 10-2 on the season, and they are coming off an 11-4 win at Grambling State on Tuesday.
Auburn and ULM have faced one common opponent so far this season in Jacksonville State. Auburn beat the Gamecocks in a single match, as previously mentioned, but ULM split a two-game series with them this past weekend. Jacksonville State took the first game 3-2, and the second game went in ULM’s favor with a 5-2 score.
ULM opens the Plainsman Invite in a game versus Delaware State on Friday morning before taking on Auburn.
Saturday
The second matchup of the weekend for Auburn features the Delaware State Hornets (0-3.) They were swept at home by the University of Hartford in their opening series last weekend.
That game is the first of a double header on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Following the matchup with Delaware State, the Tigers continue their double header at 5 p.m. CST in a game versus the Bradley Braves (3-4.) They are entering the invite coming off an 0-2 loss to Miami (Ohio) in Nashville at the Roar City Invite last weekend.
Sunday
Auburn starts off a double header for the second consecutive day against the Syracuse Orange (8-2) at 11:30 a.m. CST. The Orange enter the weekend coming off a 3-2 stretch in the Tarleton Softball Invitational last weekend. Their most recent action resulted in an 11-3 victory over Alabama State.
The Syracuse offense has exploded on several occasions this season, with five games ending in 10-plus runs on the scoreboard for the team.
The game with Syracuse preceeds a rematch with ULM to finish the weekend series for Auburn.
On Sunday at 2 p.m. CST, the invitational wraps up for the Tigers in another a rematch with ULM.
Season recap to this point
Auburn enters the weekend with a 10-1 record, with its only blemish coming from then-No. 3 UCLA in a 9-0 mercy rule.
The team has featured three pitchers thus far, with Maddie Penta and Shelby Lowe doing the majority of the labor. The two pitchers have pitched 35.2 an 28.1 innings, respectively, and combine for all of the team’s 11 total decisions. Penta is 5-0 with a 0.98 ERA, and Lowe is 5-1 with a save and a 1.24 ERA.
The duo has been in command of opponents at bats this season. Penta has a 52-8 strikeout to walk ratio and Lowe has fanned 43 batters as opposed to just three free passes.
The other pitcher to see action is senior Samantha Yarbrough, who saw her first action in Clearwater with two innings versus Texas, where she allowed two runs on four hits and a walk along with her first two strikeouts of the season. She was roughed up on Saturday against UCLA, as the Bruins tacked on six runs in the sixth inning against her to claim the mercy rule win.
The bats have also been hot early, as the Tigers have pushed across 87 runs in 11 games, and taken five victories by mercy rule.
The Auburn offense has shown plenty of power already, as the team has hit 17 home runs thus far. It has five multi-homer hitters, led by lead-off batter Makayla Packer and first baseman Bri Ellis with four a piece. Nelia Peralta, Jessie Blaine and Denver Bryant have also slammed two long balls.
The team with the No. 7 2022 recruiting class looks to continue to flex their depth and flexibility this weekend. The team has already played 18 different position players, and eight of them are freshman.
The Tigers enter the invitational with a chance to exit the weekend with a 15-1 record with an undefeated series on their home field.
All games on Saturday and Sunday will be broadcasted on SEC Network-plus. The game on Friday will not be streamed, but it can be heard on Auburn Sports Network.
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