PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – A comeback victory over No. 25 Northwestern highlighted Auburn softball's (9-5) doubleheader split over the second day of competition of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at the Big League Dreams Complex. The Tigers stumbled against Pac-12 foe California to round out Friday's action.
Falling behind the ranked Wildcats (4-6) twice in the contest, Auburn rallied in the fourth inning with help of a clutch two-out hitting performance by junior Makenna Dowell to mount the comeback. Dowell drove in the tying run with a single to right field before aggressive base running plated the go-ahead run later in the inning.
Senior Ashlee Swindle (5-4) secured the victory with a gutsy complete-game performance. Swindle allowed Northwestern's four runs off five hits and two walks but battled back to pick up three strikeouts.
Auburn opened Friday's finale with a hot start in the first, going station to station to plate a run. California (8-4) answered immediately, plating three runs in the first. The Golden Bears took advantage of Auburn miscues as seven of their eight runs were unearned.
Redshirt junior Lexie Handley suffered her first loss of the season with her complete-game performance against the Bears, falling to 2-1. Handley allowed just the one earned run off seven hits and three walks. The leftie struck out three.
Dowell led Auburn at the plate during Friday's doubleheader with a 3-for-7 performance. Dowell slugged one double, scored a run and tally one RBI. Freshman Jaylin Calvert was Auburn's lone multi-RBI producer during Friday's slate. She slugged a two-run homer during the Tigers' comeback win over Northwestern.
NORTHWESTERN SCORING RECAP
Bottom 1
Rachel Lewis led off the home half of the first with a double down the left field line. After a sacrifice bunt and walk moved runners on the corners with one out, Jordyn Rudd brought home the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field. Nikki Cuchran extended the lead with a two-out RBI double to right field.
Auburn 0; Northwestern 2
Top 2
Aspyn Godwin began the rally, reaching safely on an error after Northwestern's shortstop booted a slow roller. Pinch runner Jadia Jones moved to second on a two-out steal attempt, the first Tiger to reach scoring position. Jaylin Calvert delivered the tying blow with a two-run homer to right field.
Auburn 2; Northwestern 2
Top 3
Makenna Dowell led off the third with a double after finding a hole in left field. After a groundout to short, Justus Perry singled through the left side to move Dowell to third and force a Northwestern pitching change. Pinch runner Phoebe Florian swiped second, but Northwestern threw to third to hold Dowell in place. The throw went wild, allowing Dowell to score safely.
Auburn 3; Northwestern 2
Bottom 3
Auburn's lead was short lived as Rachel Lewis led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. Swindle fielded a ground ball for the first out of the inning, but a second solo homer, this one off the bat of Maeve Nelson put Northwestern back in front.
Auburn 3; Northwestern 4
Top 4
Tyler King kicked off a two-out rally for the Tigers with a single over the head of Northwestern's shortstop, her second single of the game. Alyssa Rivera drew a walk to move King into scoring position. Makenna Dowell delivered with a two-out single to right field to plate King. With Dowell hung out between second and first and Rivera standing a third, Northwestern's defense decided to run Dowell back to first. Rivera inched towards home, forcing a late throw at the plate to give the Tigers the lead.
Auburn 5; Northwestern 4
Top 6
Maddison Koepke took a hard ball on the forearm to draw a one-out hit by pitch and was quickly lifted for pinch runner Carlee McCondichie. Northwestern battled back with a strikeout for the second out, but Haley Nillen came through in the clutch with a double to right field in a pinch-hit appearance to plate an insurance run for the Tigers.
Auburn 6; Northwestern 4
CAL SCORING RECAP
Top 1
Alyssa Rivera led off the game with a single through the left side. Dowell reached on a ball booted by the second baseman before Tannon Snow loaded the bases with a single through the left side. Maddison Koepke plated the first run of the game with a single to shallow right.
Auburn 1; Cal 0
Bottom 1
Amani Bradley matched Auburn's start with a single to shortstop. After an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put two on, the Tigers fielded a pop up at short for the first out of the inning. Another infield single for the Bears loaded the bases. The first Cal run of the game scored on a wild pitch over the head of Haley Nillen. A walk loaded the bases once again, but Justus Perry threw home for the force on a grounder for out two. The Tigers couldn't get out the inning as a single between the 3-4 hole plated two unearned runs for Cal.
Auburn 1; Cal 3
Bottom 2
After two quick outs by Auburn's defense, a walk and then double to left field from Kacey Zobac put two Bears in scoring position. A passed ball plated the third unearned run of the game.
Auburn 1; Cal 4
Bottom 5
Back-to-back, one-out singles put two runners on, Makenna Dowell fielded a pop up to record the second out. An Auburn error extended the inning, and Cal capitalized with a grand slam to left center from Candace Yingling.
Auburn 1; Cal 8
WHAT THEY SAID
Head Coach Mickey Dean
"We did a nice job of base running in the first game. We made some good defensive plays. We made some key strikeouts. We had some big hits in situations. We had some big two-out hits in that first game, but the numbers don't lie. We didn't execute in that second game. We are going to get better. The score in game two was not indicative to the game until right there at the end. We just got to put it all together."
TIGER TRACKS
Comeback Kids – Friday's victory over Northwestern was Auburn's fourth come-from-behind victory of the 2020 season.
Shake up the Polls – Auburn secured its first 2020 victory over a ranked opponent with its win over No. 25 Northwestern to improve to 1-1 against ranked teams this season.
Jaylin Calvert – The lone freshman with multiple home runs this season after her two-run homer against the Wildcats. It was the second of her career.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to action at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Saturday against No. 5 Arizona. First pitch is set for 11:30 a.m. CT.