AUBURN, Ala. – With a solo home run to lead off the top of the eighth inning, sophomore Denver Bryant walked off No. 20 Auburn softball's 5-4 victory over Texas A&M to open Southeastern Conference play Friday at Jane B. Moore Field.
"I was just looking a pitch I could hit and get on-base," Bryant said.
The Tigers (22-1, 1-0 SEC) play earned their 14th consecutive victory with the walk-off win and remain undefeated at Jane B. Moore Field.
"I'm proud of the effort that I saw out of our team this evening," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We continued to battle until we found that timely hit late. KK Dismukes kept us in the game. She had a great night in the circle."
Junior Lindsey Garcia was also key in Auburn's come-from-behind victory as she drove in three runs, including the game-tying RBI in the top of the seventh. Garcia also slugged a two-run homer in the bottom of the third that cut Texas A&M's lead to one in the bottom of the third.
A pair of freshmen turned in multi-hit performances in their SEC debut. Nelia Peralta went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Jessie Blain turned in a 2-for-3 performance with a walk, RBI and a run scored.
Earning her seventh consecutive victory, sophomore Maddie Penta improved to 14-0 in the circle. Penta tossed the final inning of the contest, holding the Aggies (15-6, 0-1 SEC) to a pair of singles.
Junior KK Dismukes tossed five innings of relief for Auburn, shutting down the Texas A&M offense. Dismukes sprinkled five hits throughout her appearance while striking out six.
Sophomore Shelby Lowe earned the start in the series opener. Lowe was tagged for four runs, three of which were earned, in her two innings of work. Lowe gave up six hits and struck out a pair.
The Tigers got on the board first with a pair of timely two-out base hits. Peralta knocked a two-out double to right center before coming around to score on Blaine' single to center. The Aggies answered in the bottom of the second with a three-run inning. Mayce Allen did most of the damage with a two-run home run.
The Aggies took advantage of an Auburn error to score its fourth run of the game as an infield miscue with a pair on allowed an unearned run to score. Garcia pulled the Tigers within one as she slugged a two-run home run to center field in the bottom of the third.
Dismukes kept the Tigers in the game as she shut down the Aggies for four innings, but the Tigers couldn't find the timely hit as Auburn left runners stranded in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Peralta led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left field. She moved to third on a foul ball out to right field before scoring on Garcia's chopper to first base.
The Aggies loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of singles and an Auburn error, but Penta settled the game down with a deep fly ball to center that sophomore Makayla Packer reeled in for an out.
On the third pitch of her at-bat, Bryant knocked the no-doubt shot to center field to earned Auburn's third walk-off victory of the season. Bryant is now responsible for two of Auburn's three walk-off wins.
UP NEXT
Auburn looks for its third straight series win over Texas A&M on Saturday. Due to inclement weather, first pitch has been moved to 1 p.m. CT. The game will air on the SEC Network+. As part of its Alumni Weekend, Auburn softball will honor its alumni in attendance in a special pregame ceremony. The first 300 fans in attendance on Saturday will also receive a free Auburn softball 25th anniversary visor.
