Historic home runs by Rose Roach and Ma'Nia Womack, along with a determined effort from the pitching staff, led Auburn softball to a 6-3 victory over Clemson on Thursday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex, kicking off the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield.
The first history of the afternoon was Roach, a senior, as she hit the first home run of her college career, while Womack following with her first as a Tiger, helping Auburn secure the win and improve to a 6-0 record.
"It was fantastic to see them respond after Clemson took an early lead," said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. "I was impressed with how Chalea (Clemmons) settled in. Our offense really took control; we were aggressive from the start. It was great to see our team come out and make some noise. We had chances to put the game away, and we’ll look to improve on that as the weekend goes on, but overall, I'm really proud of the team."
Clemson (3-4) struck first with a solo home run by Maddie Moore in the opening inning, but Auburn responded with six unanswered runs. Auburn’s rally began in the bottom of the first when Nelia Peralta led off with a single, followed by back-to-back doubles from Icess Tresvik and Anna Wohlers, putting Auburn ahead 2-1. Wohlers finished the game 2-for-3, adding a triple in the third inning. Roach extended Auburn's lead to 3-1 with a solo shot to center field in the second inning.
“It was overwhelming to hit that home run,” Roach said. “To have my family in the stands and my dad here—it was a moment we’d dreamed of for my whole career, and to have it happen in my senior year was incredible. I’ve never felt this happy in my life, especially with my teammates waiting for me at home plate.”
With two runners on and two outs in the third, Womack added Auburn’s second home run of the game, marking Auburn’s fifth consecutive game with multiple home runs. This also marked the first time Auburn has homered in the first six games of the season since 2022.
Clemson mounted a comeback with runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but SJ Geurin threw two scoreless innings for Auburn to close out the game and earn the save.
Chalea Clemmons, who started and earned the win to improve to 3-0, pitched five innings, giving up five hits and striking out one. Together, Clemmons and Geurin combined for a flawless performance in the circle, not issuing a single walk.
The Auburn Tigers look to continue their strong performance in their next games tomorrow in Clearwater, FL facing Virginia at 9 a.m. CST, and UCF at 2:30 p.m. CST.
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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
