No. 20 Auburn softball dominated UAB to pick up its tenth win of the season and eighth win in a row, dismantling the Blazers 10-1 in a five-inning contest.
The Tigers put together an impressive all-around game on both sides of the ball Wednesday night to stay undefeated at Jane B. Moore Field this season.
The first inning set the tone for the game, with Maddie Penta retiring the first three batters in nine pitches. That quick shutdown of the first three batters led to an offensive explosion in the bottom of the first.
The Tigers' offense was able to tally five runs on five hits in the first inning, powered by a Bri Ellis two-run homer to left field and a solo shot from Annabelle Widra later in the inning.
“They were ready,” said head coach Mickey Dean “You know, hitting is an individual thing. Defense is a team, or a unit hitting is individual, and we had some individuals that had a great night.”
The Tigers kept their foot on the gas all night on offense, notching a run in every inning along with multiple hits per inning. Auburn tallied three home runs during the game, totaling 13 hits through the four innings.
“I thought we did a good job of hitting what was coming at us and hopping on them,” Ellis said. “Especially because it was a close game in the fall. And we knew it would not be a real easy ride.”
Ellis was one of three Tigers to land multiple hits. To help assist that red-hot offense, the pitching and defense shined for the Tigers — they prevented any Blazers from reaching base until the fourth inning.
The pitching staff was able to limit the Blazers to two total hits on the night, with one run coming in the form of a Sierra Frazier solo home run in the fourth inning.
Picking up her seventh win of the season to improve to 7-0, Penta saw three innings of work with zero hits, zero walks and three strikeouts. She has still yet to allow an earned run through 30 complete innings of pitching this season.
The infield played a crucial role in preventing runs from coming across, forcing seven ground-outs.
“Tonight, we were ready all the way around the infield,” said Dean. “When we put subs in the game, they were ready, and that’s what we love to see.”
Auburn played 22 players in the contest, with ten Tigers notching a hit. The mound also featured two innings of work from Shelby Lowe and Widra.
“It's really good because if one of the starters, if I have a bad game and I just can't see the ball, I know that there are two to three girls behind me that can also play first base, and the same thing for all the other positions,” said Ellis “It just, you know, it's not the end of the world. If one of us comes out and just has a bad day.”
The Tigers look to extend their home winning streak as they prepare to host the Plainsman Invite, which they will see five games from Friday, Feb. 24 to Sunday, Feb. 26.
The first game of the invitational will be against Merrimack at Jane B. Moore Field. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m. CST.
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Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
