Auburn softball continued its dominant start under co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux, securing victories over Charlotte and ninth-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. With these wins, the Tigers extended their undefeated streak to 10-0, marking their best season start since 2018.
“I can’t put it into words right now,” Chris Malveaux said. “It’s early in the season. It’s been a gauntlet this week. You’re just putting your head down and going game to game and one play at a time. We’re just really proud of them. They’ve been competing. They’ve been fun to be on the field with. They don’t give up or back down. It’s been a blast.”
Auburn’s 2018 squad opened the season with 15 straight victories before suffering its first loss. The Tigers will look to build on their current streak as they continue play in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational Presented by Evoshield.
The Tigers staged a dramatic comeback against Charlotte (2-6), overcoming a 6-2 deficit in the first inning to claim a 14-11 victory in a high-scoring battle. Later in the day, Auburn edged Oklahoma State (4-4) in a 2-1 upset, with senior Abbey Smith scoring both of the Tigers’ runs, including her first career home run.
Smith shined at the plate, going 4-for-6 across both games with four runs scored. Anna Wohlers also had a strong showing, recording three hits, a double, two RBIs and reaching the milestone of 100 career runs scored. Icess Tresvik contributed three hits, including two home runs, and drove in three runs while scoring four times. Skylar Elkins added to the offensive explosion with a grand slam, marking the first of her career.
In the circle, SJ Geurin continued her impressive start to the season, earning both wins to improve to 6-0. Across five innings of work, she did not allow a run, holding opponents to just four hits and two walks while striking out two.
Auburn 14, Charlotte 11
Auburn got off to a quick start with Tresvik launching her first home run of the day. After KK McCrary reached base on a walk and advanced to third, she came around to score on a wild pitch, giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. However, defensive miscues in the bottom of the inning proved costly, as Charlotte capitalized with six runs to take control.
Tresvik responded in the second inning with a two-run blast, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Both teams added sacrifice flies in the third, making it a 7-5 game.
Auburn’s offense erupted in the fourth inning. After loading the bases with two infield singles and a walk, Wohlers drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run. Moments later, Elkins stepped up and delivered a grand slam, her second home run of the weekend, putting Auburn ahead 10-7. The lead grew to 11-7 in the sixth when Amelia Lech tacked on an RBI single.
Charlotte refused to go down without a fight, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 11-11.
In the decisive seventh inning, Smith led off with a single, and Tresvik worked a walk. Wohlers followed with a ground-rule double to drive in the go-ahead run, and McCrary added an RBI single to give Auburn a 14-11 cushion.
Auburn used four pitchers in the contest, with Tresvik making her first appearance in the circle since 2023, throwing two innings and allowing one run on three hits and a walk. Geurin closed out the game, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings while surrendering just one hit and one walk to secure the win.
Auburn 2, Oklahoma State 1
Oklahoma State struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on a single, stolen base and a pair of wild pitches to bring in the game’s first run. Kylie Brockman prevented further damage with a crucial tag at the plate to keep it a 1-0 game.
Auburn answered in the third inning. Smith and Nelia Peralta drew walks, and Wohlers followed with another walk to load the bases. Smith then made a heads-up play, sprinting home and beating the tag to tie the game at 1-1.
The turning point came in the fifth inning, when Smith delivered in the clutch again. The senior launched a fly ball to center field, taking advantage of the defensive shift for her first career home run, putting Auburn ahead 2-1.
After surrendering the early run, Maddie Rainey and Geurin combined to shut out the Cowgirls for the final six innings. The duo stranded nine baserunners to protect Auburn’s lead.
Rainey started the game, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out three. Geurin entered in relief and continued her dominance, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings with three hits, a walk and one strikeout to earn the victory.
Auburn will wrap up its time in Clearwater with a matchup against Liberty on Sunday at 11 a.m. CST. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
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Grace is a Sophomore majoring in Speech Language Hearing Sciences. She joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2024.
