No. 19 Auburn (34-14, 10-7 SEC) faced rival No. 14 Alabama (13-14, 10-7 SEC) in a doubleheader in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday. The Tigers could not hold Alabama in the series opener with a 6-1 final but came back to defeat the Tide 5-1 in game two.
“We stayed with it all day,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but it was a good day overall. We need to be better on defense. We rushed a couple plays that we didn’t need to rush.”
The strong-arm pitcher, Montana Fouts, snagged the win for Alabama in game one, while Maddie Penta held on during game two for Auburn and earned the 20th win of her junior season.
Shelby Lowe, the left-hander from Carrollton, Alabama, opened for Auburn in game one. The Tide seized the lead early in the opener with a pair of doubles in the bottom of the first. The Tigers' strong defense stopped the Tide's momentum with back-to-back outs to end the inning.
Lowe built a strong foundation for the Tigers by retiring eight straight hitters and letting up only one run. The Tide pushed back in the bottom of the fifth, however, securing a 5-0 lead and ending Lowe's time on the mound. Sophomore Annabelle Widra closed game one for the Tigers, recording a strikeout.
The Tigers ended Fouts' no-hitter in the top of the fourth with a lead-off single from sophomore Nelia Peralta but were unable to cross home plate until the sixth. A miscue in Auburn's defense was the nail in the coffin for game one, giving the Tide a 6-1 victory.
Auburn's offense was carried in game two by junior Denver Bryant and sophomore Bri Ellis, who each slugged a home run to give the Tigers a comfortable lead. Peralta dominated the plate for Auburn during the doubleheader, going 4-for-6 and getting her 20th RBI of the season.
At the start of game two, Alabama thought it had secured an inning-ending double play, but after further review, the call was overturned and the Tigers continued their time at the plate. Auburn used this call to its advantage and snagged an early 3-0 lead thanks to Bryant’s electric bat.
A lead-off walk and a fielding error by Auburn put Alabama on the scoreboard in the first inning, but the Tide did not score again during the game.
The Tigers' offense didn’t stop there. Utility player Makayla Packer reached base and relied on her speed to steal second base, ultimately scoring on a sacrifice fly by Peralta. Ellis sealed the deal for Auburn with her 32nd collegiate home run.
Penta pitched her 11th complete game for the Tigers and allowed one run off three hits and a walk. Penta obtained seven strikeouts during her outing and made history by earning her 20th victory of the season — the first Auburn pitcher since Kaylee Carlson (2017, 2018) to record at least 20 wins in back-to-back seasons.
“Penta performed really well today,” Dean said. “She was nervous that first inning. There are a lot of people here. It was a big day for Alabama softball, being ‘Montana Fouts Day’. She settled down. She did her thing.”
Bryant had a successful day with four runs on top of her two homers and put an end to Alabama’s game-one shutout bid in the top of the sixth inning.
Both games changed the trajectory of the two teams from Alabama. The win for the Tide in game one ended their five-game losing streak and the Tigers grabbed their first win against Alabama since 2018 in game two.
The Tigers are looking to secure their first road series win against the Tide since 2017. The first pitch of the rubber game is set for 11:30 a.m. CST Sunday at Rhodes Stadium and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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