AUBURN, Ala. – After mounting an extra-inning victory over Georgia Southern (11-6), Auburn softball (10-7) stumbled to No. 18 Minnesota (10-6) to split Friday's doubleheader at Jane B. Moore Field to open the Tiger Invitational.
Trailing by one in the bottom of the seventh, Alyssa Rivera knocked a solo home run to lock the game at 3-3 and force extra innings against Georgia Southern. The Eagles plated a run in the ninth with perfectly executed small ball, but Auburn answered in the home half of the inning with Rivera delivering the walk-off single for the 5-4 victory.
Senior Ashlee Swindle started the contest, allowing three runs off nine hits. Only two of Georgia Southern's runs were earned. Swindle struck out four and walked three over five innings of work. Sophomore Samantha Yarbrough earned the victory to improve to 3-0 in the circle. Over her four innings of work, Yarbrough allowed just one unearned run off one hit. She walked two and struck out four.
Rivera matched her career high with a 4-for-5 day at the plate against Georgia Southern. She drove in a team-high two RBI. Junior Makenna Dowell posted a perfect 4-for-4 outing, a career-high for the shortstop. Auburn's top-two hitters in the batting order collected eight of Auburn's nine hits.
It was another come-from-behind effort for the Tigers against the Golden Gophers. Auburn used a clutch, two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth to lock the game up at 4-4. Minnesota answered in the top of the seventh to plate the go-ahead run on a two-out double to hold on for a 5-4 victory.
Freshman Carlee McCondichie was Auburn's leader against Minnesota as she finished the contest 2-for-2 with a run scored and RBI. Rivera scored two of Auburn's four runs in the game. Redshirt junior Lexie Handley tossed the complete game, striking out a season-high six. Only three of Minnesota's five runs were earned.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN SCORING RECAP
Top 1
Georgia Southern struck first with a solo home run to right from Mekhia Freeman.
Georgia Southern 1; Auburn 0
Bottom 1
Alyssa Rivera led off the inning beating out an infield single to second. Makenna Dowell moved her to third with a single to shallow left. Tannon Snow drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right, her third sacrifice fly of the season.
Georgia Southern 1; Auburn 1
Top 3
Back-to-back, one-out singles for Georgia Southern put an Eagle in scoring position. An Auburn error at short allowed the base runner to score from second to plate the unearned run.
Georgia Southern 2; Auburn 1
Top 4
After a leadoff single, a double to center from Ashlynn Gunter put two runners in scoring position with one out. Auburn elected to intentionally walk Mekhia Freeman to face Faith Shirley. Shirley flew out to shallow center for the second out of the inning, but a bases-loaded walk brought home a run for Georgia Southern.
Georgia Southern 3; Auburn 1
Bottom 5
Tyler King and Alyssa Rivera opened the fifth-inning comeback with singles back up the middle. Makenna Dowell roped her third single of the game to left to drive in a run and cut the lead to one.
Georgia Southern 3; Auburn 2
Bottom 7
Down to the final out, Alyssa Rivera tied the game up with one swing with a home run to center, her fourth homer of the season.
Georgia Southern 3; Auburn 3
Top 9
With the international tie-breaker rule in place, Georgia Southern moved the base runner to third with a sacrifice bunt. Janai Cooklin flied out to center for the second out. Auburn threw home for the tag at the plate, but the ball was dropped and allowed the run to score.
Georgia Southern 4; Auburn 3
Bottom 9
Maddison Koepke began the inning at second base for the Tigers and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Jaylin Calvert. Haley Nillen worked an impressive nine-pitch, at-bat to draw a walk and was lifted for pinch runner Phoebe Florian. Florian stole second to move both Tigers in scoring position. Tyler King plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly to left. Alyssa Rivered called game with a single up the middle to walk off the win in extras.
Georgia Southern 4; Auburn 5
MINNESOTA SCORING RECAP
Top 1
Minnesota's first hit of the game was a one-out single up the middle Carlie Brandt. A walk moved Brant into scoring position before a single through the left side loaded the bases. Sydney Strelow singled through the right side to plate two for an early Gopher lead.
Minnesota 2; Auburn 0
Bottom 1
After drawing a leadoff walk, Alyssa Rivera quickly moved herself into scoring position with a stolen base. After moving to third on a grounder to first from Makenna Dowell, Rivera would score on a grounder to short from Justus Perry.
Minnesota 2; Auburn 1
Top 2
Lexie Handley battled back after a leadoff walk with a strikeout and fly ball to left. Carlie Brandt singled through the right side to move a Gopher to third before an Auburn error at second allowed the unearned run to score.
Minnesota 3; Auburn 1
Bottom 3
Alyssa Rivera drew a one-out walk and moved herself into scoring position with a stolen base before taking third on a passed ball. Makenna Dowell drove her home with a sacrifice fly to center.
Minnesota 3; Auburn 2
Top 4
Brooke Vander Heide singled back to a pitcher, but an errant throw on the play allowed her to reach second. A MaKenna Partain single up the middle plated the unearned run.
Minnesota 4; Auburn 2
Bottom 4
Justus Perry doubled to center to lead off the fourth and was lifted for pinch runner Phoebe Florian. Pinch hitter Carlee McCondichie singled to the shortstop to plate a run. Abby Tissier locked the game up with a bases-clearing double to left center.
Minnesota 4; Auburn 4
Top 7
Natalie DenHartog knocked a single through the left side and moved into scoring position off a sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch moved DenHartog to third. Handley forced a ground ball to second to hold the runner at third and record the second out. Katelyn Kemetmueller doubled to right field to plate the go-ahead run.
Minnesota 5; Auburn 4
WHAT THEY SAID
Head Coach Mickey Dean
"As long as we battle, we're going to win some games. We've just got to battle. We talked to the team about the difference between being a white-collar player and a blue-collar player. They didn't know what the difference was. A blue-collar player will go out there and fight, knock down, and drag out. That's what we're going to have to do and that's what our pitchers and our hitters did tonight. We struggled defensively a little bit, but by God we fought through it. We gave ourselves an opportunity to win both games. That's what you have to do. We did that both times and tonight we won one and we lost one."
TIGER TRACKS
Alyssa Rivera – Swiped her 30 stolen base to stand tied for ninth in Auburn career history with Kristina McCain. Slugged the game-tying home run against Georgia Southern. It was her team-leading fourth of the season and the 26th of her career. She is one homer shy of cracking Auburn's top 10 career list.
Makenna Dowell – Set a career high in hits with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate against Georgia Southern.
Lindsey Garcia – Slugged the first triple of her collegiate career.
Lexie Handley – Struck out a season-high six against Minnesota.
Comeback Cats – Auburn recorded its fifth come-from-behind victory of the season against Georgia Southern. Auburn improved to 2-0 in extra innings with the win.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to action at the Tiger Invitational on Saturday with a rematch with No. 18 Minnesota at 3:30 p.m. CT. Auburn will round out Saturday's doubleheader against Binghamton at 6 p.m. CT. Both contests will be aired on the SEC Network+.