Auburn softball opened the season with a Friday doubleheader in the Tiger Invitational, losing to No. 23 Virginia Tech 8-1 and then beating Belmont 6-1.
Game 1: Virginia Tech
With Virginia Tech coming off an 18-1 win in its game against Illinois before taking on the Tigers, Maddie Penta, the 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year, had her hands full with a potent Hokies lineup for her first start of the season.
Both teams were locked in a scoreless tie with just three total hits between the two teams going into the bottom of the fourth inning – until Maryland transfer Amelia Lech recorded her first hit in an Auburn uniform, a solo home run over the left field wall that gave Auburn a 1-0 heading into the fifth inning.
This lead did not last for Auburn as Emily LeGette led off the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run to equalize the game 1-1.
The brief exchange of runs did not persist, as neither team produced another run in regulation. The 20 combined strikeouts between the two starting pitchers assisted the lack of scoring. Virginia Tech’s Lyndsey Grein recorded 12 strikeouts, while Penta recorded eight.
The top of the eighth inning took a turn for the worse for the Tigers as a series of singles put runners on first and second base with no outs. Virginia Tech took advantage of the runners on base with an error trying to throw out Addy Greene on a bunt attempt that allowed the Hokies to take a 2-1 lead.
Entering the eighth inning, the Hokies had four total hits, two of which came from Greene. However, Auburn allowed seven hits and seven runs in the top of the eighth inning, putting it in a seven-run deficit with three outs remaining.
“We had more opportunities to win that ball game in the first seven innings than they did,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “We had runners on second base all day long, but we would strike out or pop up.”
Auburn got two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth inning, but it wasn’t enough as Auburn lost its season opener.
Game 2: Belmont
After starting pitcher Emmah Rolfe stranded one runner on base in the top of the first inning, Auburn didn’t waste any time as KK McCrary hit a solo home run over the center field wall, giving the Tigers the 1-0 advantage.
Like the first game, Belmont didn’t waste any time tying things up as a series of hits and a steal of home tied things in the top of the second inning.
Unlike the first game, Auburn scored five runs in the next four innings, giving the Tigers a 6-1 lead that they didn’t relinquish. The offense was powered by five walks and four different players recording RBIs.
“We came from playing Virginia Tech, and they have extremely good pitchers,” McCray said. “When you go from a pitcher that is throwing 68-67 to 55, it looks like a beachball compared to what we just saw.”
Despite the five-run Tiger victory, Belmont still recorded more hits than Auburn in the loss, with the Bruins notching nine hits to the Tigers' seven.
The Tiger Invitational continues on Saturday as Auburn is slated for another doubleheader, with the first game rematch against No. 23 Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. CST and the second game at 4 p.m. against Illinois. Both games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
