Auburn softball kicked off the War Eagle Classic on Friday with a five-inning victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, decided by a 9-1 run-rule, and a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech.
Game 1: Louisiana Tech
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead in the first inning after Auburn’s first two batters reached base. Makayla Packer bunted the runners into scoring position, and Nelia Peralta advanced the runners again with a sacrifice fly ball to right field.
A wild pitch from the Bulldogs scored KK McCrary from third base, and a two-out single from Annabelle Widra in the bottom of the second inning pushed the lead to three early.
While the Tigers' offense provided runs, starting pitcher Shelby Lowe kept the Louisiana Tech offense in check.
Lowe started the game with four scoreless innings, and with help from the defense behind her, no Bulldog advanced past first base until the fifth inning.
The Bulldogs recorded an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning after Lowe allowed a single and hit batter to reach base.
Lowe finished the day with four hits allowed, one earned run, one walk and six strikeouts in five innings pitched.
An offensive explosion at the bottom of the fifth inning cut Lowe’s day short, which started with back-to-back solo home runs by Anna Wohlers and McCrary.
The next three batters also reached base after a Packer single, Peralta walk and Icess Tresvik single loaded the bases.
A deep flyout to right field brought in the runner from third base, and a fielding error attempting to tag Mariah Penta allowed Tresvik to steal home and push the lead to 8-1.
Widra delivered the dagger with an RBI single, scoring Mariah Penta to run-rule the Bulldogs.
The Auburn offense finished with 10 hits in the game, with the first three batters in the lineup, Wohlers, McCrary and Packer, hitting 6-for-8 with two RBIs and five runs.
The Tigers extended their win streak to three, heading into the second of the doubleheader.
Game 2: Georgia Tech
Riding the high of the dominant victory in the first game, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quickly wiped that momentum away with three runs in the first inning. A solo home run followed by a fielder's choice and a wild pitch put Auburn in a 3-0 hole in the first inning.
Unlike the first game, the Tigers' offense failed to get going early and did not record a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning.
Despite the lack of offense, starting pitcher Maddie Penta reeled her game back in. In the bottom of the second inning, she struck out all three batters she faced and did not allow another run. After pitching the first five innings, she was pulled for Widra.
“Our pitchers and coaches are doing a really good job of communicating right now,” said head coach Mickey Dean. "We are able to make those adjustments on the fly, and sometimes you are able to do that, and sometimes you’re not. After that first inning, she was able to make that adjustment.”
With its back against the wall, Auburn started to get the offense going in the bottom of the sixth inning after a pair of singles from Packer and Peralta gave Auburn two runners.
Tresvik scored Auburn's first run with an RBI single, cutting into the Yellow Jackets' lead. Amelia Lech delivered a clutch double off the center-field wall to clear the bases and tie the game at three apiece.
Skylar Elkins made the second out of the inning with Lech in scoring position, which set up Mariah Penta to deliver a double to score the runner from second base and give the Tigers the advantage.
“I am feeling really good that was a team win,” Mariah Penta said. “We have had some struggles, but we were able to come back after giving up three runs and get the win.”
After one inning from Widra, Maddie Penta returned to the mound to shut the door on Georgia Tech, and after she allowed a one-out single, a strikeout turned into a double play with Aubrie Lisenby throwing out a Yellow Jacket on a stolen base attempt for the final out of the game.
Auburn extended its win streak to four games and improved to 19-11-1 on the season with two more games in the War Eagle Classic on Saturday — the first against Louisiana Tech at 1 p.m. CST and the second against Georgia Tech at 4 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
