The No. 17 Auburn Tigers secured their third straight SEC series win on Sunday, taking down South Carolina 10-0 in five innings. Auburn secured its run-rule victory with eight runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Tigers ace Maddie Penta threw Auburn’s first no-hitter in SEC play since Holly Currie versus Ole Miss in 2006. It marked Penta’s fourth individual no-hitter of her collegiate career, and she is now 23-5 on the season – tied for sixth most wins in a season by an Auburn pitcher.
Penta allowed two walks in Sunday’s contest and finished the contest with nine strikeouts. She recorded her seventh shutout of the season, four of which have come in SEC play, and she is tied for second most shutouts in Tigers’ history with Currie (2005).
“My defense had my back today,” Penta said. “When my offense gives me early run support, it gives me confidence to attack the plate. I get to relax and pitch my game. It’s a team effort. I can’t win a game. We’ll continue to build on this heading into the final weekend.”
Icess Tresvik had a big day for the Tigers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs and three RBIs.
“I was locked in today. I hadn’t squared up the ball the last two games. I knew I needed to keep a strong barrel at the plate,” Tresvik said. “We want to host regionals. We need to stay locked in. Stay excited and play like an Auburn Tiger.”
Adding to the Tigers’ dominant offensive performance, KK McCrary claimed two hits in the fifth inning that included a three-run double. Aspyn Godwin also claimed multiple RBIs, picking up a pinch-hit two-run double in the fifth.
Leading Auburn in walks, Nelia Peralta drew two walks, recorded a base hit and scored twice on Sunday. Bri Ellis drew four walks in the contest finale, becoming the second Auburn Tiger in program history to be intentionally walked three times in a single game.
Auburn’s first two runs came from a RBI by Lindsey Garcia and a home run from Tresvik. The Tigers totaled eight runs in the fifth and final inning of the contest when Godwin broke open the game with a pinch-hit double that extended the Tigers’ lead to 6-0.
After a pair of walks, McCrary took the batter's box with the bases and recorded her second hit of the inning. McCrary’s double cleared the bases, and she scored on a Tresvik single to right field that further extended the Tigers’ lead to 10-0.
Capping off her performance, Penta finished the finale striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth, preserving the no-hitter.
With the series win over the Gamecocks, Auburn claimed its third straight SEC series and second straight road SEC series for the first time since 2019. The victory marks head coach Mickey Dean’s 200th win as Auburn's head coach.
“It was a big response after yesterday,” Dean said. “The team was engaged today. They weren’t over-swinging. They weren’t getting emotional in the dugout. We were confident.”
Heading home for the final series of the regular season, Auburn hosts Mississippi State beginning Friday, May 5. First pitch is at 5 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network+.
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Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
