On a cold, cloudy Sunday, Auburn swept its doubleheader against Coastal Alabama Community College and Enterprise State Community College.
Auburn’s first opponent was the Coastal Alabama Coyotes, dominating 25-3 in five innings. The Enterprise Boll Weevils fought, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Tigers, who won 13-0 in seven innings.
It took all of the Tigers to secure both games with 38 hits – 12 doubles – a .516 batting average, seven home runs and a 1.048% for slugging. Auburn’s pitching had a good day in the circle, allowing only one earned run over 12 innings.
Although Auburn came out victorious, head coach Mickey Dean acknowledged that fall ball is time to break down different aspects of the team to see where the team needs to improve before the season starts.
“We’re getting there. (During fall ball,) you’re breaking down defense,” Dean said. “You’re breaking down pitching, breaking down hitting. We’ve come a long way, no doubt about that. Defensively, we still can do a better job communicating. Our pitchers are good. We just got to work ahead. Our young pitchers work from behind a lot. So, we’re getting there. I like how we’re progressing.”
Game one
In the circle, sophomore Emmah Rolfe started strong for the Tigers against the Coyotes, having a solid performance. Over four innings, Rolfe struck out eight batters and allowed only two hits and two walks.
Auburn’s offense came out swinging in the first inning. Everybody seemed to find themselves on the scoreboard.
Senior Makayla Packer started the Tigers’ offense first with a two-run homer. Juniors Anna Wohlers, Rose Roach and Nelia Peralta had RBI doubles. Junior Amelia Lech finished off the inning with a grand slam.
In the second inning, Peralta drove in three runs while senior KK McCrary ended things with an RBI double. Coastal Alabama got on the board in the third, scoring an unearned run, but Auburn still dominated 15-1.
The Tigers continued to make big plays, scoring 10 runs in the fourth. Sophomore Millie Roberts, freshman Chalea Clemmons and Packer secured doubles. Junior Riley McNemar, sophomore Skylar Elkins and freshman Malayna Tamborra added home runs to the scoreboard, extending the lead to 25-1.
Game two
Junior Annabelle Widra started against the Weevils, pitching three innings. Widra collected six strikeouts during her outing. Clemmons got the Tigers on the board first with a two-run double.
Enterprise’s defense held Auburn to three scoreless innings. This streak ended in the fifth, with Peralta leading the charge with a three-run double. Auburn’s offensive surge continued to the sixth, where the Tigers scored six runs.
Compared to their usual SEC opponents, the Tigers can sometimes get distracted when they dominate the game, but Dean’s goal for the fall is to remain focused no matter the score.
“It’s difficult sometimes because of the scores to keep everybody focused,” Dean said. “So, for us, I want to see them be able to take it inning by inning and treat each inning like it’s the seventh inning. When you’re up 20 runs, it’s difficult to stay focused – I understand that – but we’ve done a pretty good job of that. And we just want to continue to be as consistent as possible.”
The Tigers have two games left for fall ball. On Oct. 22, Auburn has another doubleheader scheduled. Gulf Coast State College is first at 2 p.m. CST, and Wallace State Community College will follow.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
