MACON, Ga. – Bringing power at the plate to record the 12th run-rule victory of 2022, No. 19 Auburn softball (30-9) knocked off Mercer (10-29) in six innings, 10-0, Wednesday night at Sikes Field.
"We had several members of the team step up," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We were able to give them additional playing time and at-bats, and they did a nice job. We're trying to give people some rest, so I thought our young team did a nice job stepping up. Maddie (Penta) didn't leave out defense out there a long time, and KK (Dismukes) did a nice job to close it out."
Sophomore Maddie Penta was virtually untouchable in the circle as she improved to 19-4. Penta is now tied with Holly Currie (2006) and Kaylee Carlson (2015) for the 10th most individual wins by an Auburn pitcher in a single season.
Penta kept Mercer hitless until the fifth inning, giving up just a lone single Wednesday night. The right-hander issued one walk and struck out seven. Junior KK Dismukes tossed the final inning of the game, striking out two.
At the plate, Auburn was led by freshman Bri Ellis. Ellis turned in a 2-for-3 performance with a home run and a career high three RBI. Junior Lindsey Garcia also turned in a multi-hit performance with two base knocks, including a two-run home run.
Freshman Jessie Blaine turned in her seventh multi-RBI contest of the season as she drove in two with a double in the sixth. Returning to the starting lineup, freshman Rose Roach picked up a pair of infield singles.
Neither team was able to breakthrough on the scoreboard until the Tigers plated three runs in the top of the third. Freshman Abbey Smith led off the inning with a single to center before Garcia broke open the scoring with a two-run home run to left center. After back-to-back fly outs, Ellis drove a solo homer to deep center. Ellis has now slugged a team-leading 14 home runs and is just four shy of tying Kasey Cooper for Auburn's freshman home run record.
Roach manufactured the fourth Tiger run of the game by herself in the fourth inning. After beating out an infield single, Roach's steal attempt produced a pair of Mercer errors, allowing her to score.
The Tigers struck again in the fifth as Auburn got two on with a single up the middle from freshman Aubrie Lisenby and a walk. A Mercer error at short allowed Lisenby to score from second. A pair of productive outs extended Auburn's lead to 6-0 as junior Carlee McCondichie picked up an RBI off a grounder to first.
After loading the bases with one out in the top of the sixth, Blaine put the Tigers in run-rule territory as she drove in a pair with a double to left. Ellis cleared the bases for good measure with a two-run single to right to put the Tigers up a decisive 10-0.
UP NEXT
Auburn continues nonconference action this weekend with a three-game series against Niagara. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT.