Auburn Softball (5-0) ended a dominant run at the Tiger Invite Tournament with a 11-1 victory over North Carolina (3-2) in five innings Sunday at Jane B. Moore Field with new head coaches Chris Malveaux and Kate Malveaux.
Auburn claimed the Tiger Invite having secured two victories over North Carolina, two over Southern Illinois, and one over Appalachian State, while outscoring their opponents this weekend 44-19.
The Tigers took control early in the second inning when Amelia Lech, who went 2-for-3, launched a massive two-run homer high off the scoreboard in left center to get the Tiger’s offense rolling. Auburn threatened again in the third, loading the bases, on two walks and a single from Icess Trasvik, but they were unable to push any runs across.
UNC’s offense held quiet in the first four innings, mustering only one hit off starting pitcher Chalea Clemmons (2-0), while Auburn's offense kept rolling. Ma’Nia Womack led off the inning with a triple, sparking a rally. From there, KK McCrary had a two RBI double, and Kylie Brockman, Amelia Lech, and Rose Roach had RBI hits in the inning. Freshman AnnaLea Adam then made an impressive debut, hitting a three-run homer in her first collegiate at-bat to cap off a big nine-run fourth inning for the Tigers.
UNC responded in the fifth with a triple from Lexie Roberts, who eventually crossed the plate for their first run. However, the Tar Heels could not overcome Auburn’s offense, and the game ended with the Tigers securing an 11-1 victory.
The Tar Heels' pitching staff struggled on the mound today, with Kenna Raye Dark (0-2), Nikki Harris, and Alexandra Bacher taking the loss. The trio combined to allow a total of eleven runs off eleven hits. While Auburn’s pitching staff threw a great game in the circle combined for 5 strikeouts. Clemmons started the game and threw four solid innings, allowing one run on two hits before giving way to Haley Rainey who came in on the fifth to close the game.
Auburn’s offense was on red hot throughout the tournament, finishing with a .407 team batting average. Nelia Peralta had a standout performance, hitting .632 with twelve hits which included three home runs, ten runs scored, and ten RBIs. Tresvik also stood out, hitting .579 with three home runs and eleven RBIs over the weekend. The pitching staff also finished the tournament strong with a 1.96 ERA and twenty strikeouts.
With the dominant performance at the tournament, the Tigers are off to a promising start to the season. Auburn will head out on the road for the first time this season to Clearwater, FL to play six games in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational with their first game against Clemson (3-2) this Thursday, Feb. 13.
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Sarah is a freshman majoring in public relations. She started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @sarahsewall12
