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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn softball drops middle game to LSU, sets up decisive game three

three up and three down against Georgia
three up and three down against Georgia

No. 13 LSU put big swings on two pitches in Saturday's game two, and that was all it needed to take down No. 25 Auburn, 3-2, and even the series.

Against an LSU lineup featuring eight lefties, lefty Shelby Lowe took the mound for her first start in conference play this season and turned in perhaps her strongest outing of the season. She did not allow a base runner her first time through the order, but in the fourth inning, LSU's sole right-handed batter did enough damage to hand Lowe a tough-luck loss, making her 3-4 on the season.

11 batters in, Lowe was perfect, but she met her pitch count after four innings and her day ended there. She went four innings, striking out five while allowing two runs on two hits.

"I thought Shelby had a great outing," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It's always the small things. It's tough as a pitcher. One batter, one pitch can change the outcome of a game. They gave us an opportunity to win the game. There's no doubt about that."

After Lowe allowed a bloop single with two outs, Georgia Clark, LSU's home run leader, came to the plate and launched her 10th of the season to put the visiting Tigers up 2-1. Furthering the damage just enough, McKenzie Redoutey lined a gapper into left-center for an RBI double off of reliever Annabelle Widra in the fifth inning to give LSU a two-run lead that Auburn couldn't surmount.

Preceding that double was a leadoff walk, and the runner came around to score from first after Nelia Peralta mishandled the relay throw from the outfield and was unable to make a throw home. That run ended up being the difference in a tight ballgame with talented pitching and top-notch defenses on both sides. 

"In these games, it always comes down to the small stuff," Dean said. "The things that you don't recognize – like a leadoff walk or a bobble on relay all in one inning. That's the difference in the game. We also had some base running miscues, so it is the little things." 

Although Lindsey Garcia hit her team-best ninth homer of the season in the bottom of the sixth, the offense struggled to get the ball off the ground versus drop ball pitcher Sydney Berzon. Auburn made solid contact throughout the game, ending with just four strikeouts, but Berzon (12-3) induced 14 groundouts while keeping Auburn to three hits in her complete-game win.

Garcia and Peralta put Auburn on the board for the second straight game. Following a night where they both hit homers, Garcia knocked in both runs, going 2-for-3 with a homer. Peralta scored one of those runs and collected Auburn's only other hit, a double, and added a walk. That puts their averages at .312 and .336, respectively, and boosted Garcia to a team-leading 35 RBIs in her senior season. 

"Lindsey is doing a great job making adjustments," Dean said. "You just hope the younger players on our team follow along and notice the adjustments that Lindsey has been able to make in-game. That's part of the process."

While Auburn struggled to rally offensively, the loud contact from sophomore Rose Roach through two starts at second base combined with the return of Aspyn Godwin, who suffered a concussion at Florida last weekend, in a pinch-hitting role stood as encouraging signs going into decisive game three. 

The re-emergence of Lowe along with the strong relief appearance by Widra gave Maddie Penta the game off after her complete-game win in game one, gearing Auburn up for a rubber match as it looks to climb in the SEC standings. It is currently tied with Alabama and Florida for fourth in the conference at 8-6 in SEC play, a half-game behind Arkansas.

Auburn falls to 31-13, but there is still another game to play. In all likelihood, Penta will get the ball as Auburn goes for its third SEC series win of the season on Sunday at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN2.


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