The Auburn Tigers beat the No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs in walk-off fashion on a two-run homer by graduate infielder KK McCrary to win 11-10 Friday night and secure their third SEC win of the season.
It was a battle throughout the night, as both teams exchanged the lead seven times, including two lead changes late in the game.
“Yeah, it was just super back and forth,” said McCrary. “It’s always like that with Georgia every single year, it’s like Georgia’s scrappy, you know. They get after it and stuff. And it felt good to come through as a team.”
The game was tied at 8-8 with no runners on base for Auburn and two outs. Rose Roach then hit a solo home run over center field to give the Tigers the lead heading into the final inning.
The Tigers got to two outs with an 0-2 count for redshirt sophomore pitcher SJ Geurin. All she had to do was throw one more strike. But after three straight balls, the count went full.
Georgia responded with a line drive to left field, driving in two runners from second and third to make the score 10-9.
In the bottom of the seventh, freshman AnnaLea Adams led off and was hit by a pitch to take first base. Senior right fielder Icess Tresvik followed with a strikeout at the plate.
Then came McCrary, who had already hit one home run earlier in the game. She launched a two-run homer over the center-field wall to seal the walk-off win for the Tigers.
It was a redemptive night for McCrary, who has struggled at the plate this season.
“I personally have not been super hot at this point,” McCrary said. “So just spending time in the cages—and my teammates have really just picked me up through that stretch where I was struggling and trying to find my groove again.”
Both teams endured a weather delay in the top of the fifth inning, heading to their respective locker rooms for about 30 minutes. It was an added element to the game that played into the unusual night for both teams.
Despite recording two fewer hits than the Bulldogs (13-11), Auburn capitalized on key moments. The Tigers went on a scoring run in the bottom of the second, hitting three of their six home runs. They also reached base five times on Bulldog errors, while committing just one of their own.
“Having that win, it keeps you afloat,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “This game—hopefully we continue to play this way this weekend. This would be huge. We’ve got to try to get it tomorrow.”
The Tigers will play the second game of the series against Georgia on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+.
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William Halliday is a junior journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee. He started with the Plainsman in fall 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @wphalliday3
