In the opener of the last home series of the season, No. 18 Auburn won 6-3 over the No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs behind a seven-strikeout performance from Maddie Penta.
“It’s nice to play that well late. It was good to see a pitcher that good and see our young hitters make adjustments,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “Our defense played a big part. We made some really nice plays that kept them from being in it.”
Penta started in the circle for the Tigers, going the distance for seven innings. She allowed the three home runs on six hits, facing just 28 batters and holding off a Georgia offense known for its hitting and multiple-run scoring.
“I knew they were going to hit home runs coming in here. I was very fortunate to have a great defense working behind me today. The offense was electric,” Penta said. “That defense allowed me to give up solo home runs as opposed to multiple run home runs, which is always great. I was honestly working inning by inning, pitch by pitch.”
Penta was in dangerous territory early, hitting the first Georgia batter. Sara Mosley, their second batter of the day, singled up the middle. After their third flied out, Jaya Kearney grounded out to third to advance the runners to second and third. With a pair of runs looming large, Penta struck out their next up, allowing just one hit in the top of the inning.
The Auburn bats had nothing working in the first or second, then the Bulldogs got on the board to open the third inning. Ellie Armistead homered over the left field wall to break the scoring drought and give her team the lead.
Sydney Cox, not allowing the Tigers to be outdone, answered to lead off the bottom of the third. Her home run went sailing directly over the centerfield wall to tie the game. Auburn got just the one run on Cox’s hit but evened up the game and left no one on base.
A scoreless fourth inning calmed an already slow game, but Auburn did not accept that for long. In the bottom of the fifth, Aubrie Lisenby and Cox singled, leaving them at first and second as Carlee McCondichie stepped up to the plate. McCondichie hit the third homer of the game over center field, scoring the three runs and giving Auburn its first lead of the night.
“I was looking for a pitch and if I saw it there, I was going to swing hard. Anything to get my teammates in and get those runs,” McCondichie said. “It’s just a turnaround from last year and it shows people what we’re made of.”
With just one out in the inning, Lindsay Garcia and Micayla Packer were on third and second as Jessie Blaine came up to bat. Georiga brought in pitcher Britton Rogers who walked Blaine.
With the bases loaded, Bri Ellis singled to score Garcia and Packer. Auburn ultimately left Blaine and Ellis on base but got enough offense out of the inning that it was not an issue.
“Our big thing this year is getting excited for your teammates and building off of other people’s success. I think we did a really good job of that,” Cox said. “It was a fun one.”
The Tigers had a solid offensive effort in the fifth, finishing with five runs on five hits to pad their lead. Georgia answered in the top of the sixth with a solo Lacy Fincher bomb over the left field wall to pull the Bulldogs closer.
Georgia’s hitting never wavered. In the top of the seventh, down four, pinch hitter Mackenzie Puckett homered on her first pitch from Penta. To close the game, Penta struck out the next two up to the plate.
“All we can do is play one pitch at a time, one game at a time,” Dean said. “We’ve just got to stay focused on tomorrow and after tomorrow, we can focus on the next day.”
Auburn and Georgia will face off on Saturday at 6 p.m. as the Tigers look to take game two and the series win. The game will air on the SEC Network.
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Callie Stanford, junior in communications, is the sports editor at the Auburn Plainsman. Currently a junior, she has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.
Twitter: @Stanford1Callie
