AUBURN, Ala. – Behind the bat of leadoff hitter Alyssa Rivera, Auburn earned fall exhibition victories over Pensacola State and Snead State on Saturday. For the day, Rivera was 7-of-8 with five runs batted in, four runs scored, four stolen bases, two home runs and a double.
"Alyssa is working on Alyssa," head coach Mickey Dean said. "She's working on being herself and it's our job to help her get to where she wants to be. She's done a good job with that so far."
Rivera's two-run home run against Pensacola State came during a seven-run bottom of the sixth to extend the Tigers' lead. She was one of seven Tiger batters with at least one hit and the only one with three-or-more hits against the Pirates.
In the circle, pitchers Lexie Handley (3.0 innings), Ashlee Swindle (3.0) and Bailee Dempsey (1.0) combined to no-hit Pensacola State in a seven-inning game. The Pirates' only baserunners came with one out in the first innings — a walk issued by Handley — and to start the second — a passed ball on a swing third strike. From there, the trio retired the next 18 consecutive batters to end the game.
"I thought our pitchers really attacked (the strike zone) during the first game," Dean said. "I thought we did a good job of making late-game adjustments and I thought our defense played well all day."
Against Snead State, Rivera clubbed a three-run home run during a five-run bottom of the fourth to give Auburn the lead. From there, the Tigers added single runs during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to secure the victory.
"I'm just believing in myself and believing in the ability that this team has," Rivera said. "We are just going out there and trying to apply pressure to the other team."