AUBURN, Ala. – Behind a six-run fourth inning, No. 18 Auburn softball (33-9) secured its fourth consecutive run-rule victory, topping Jacksonville State (25-17), 9-1, in five innings at Jane B. Moore Field Tuesday.
The Tigers have now won 15 games this season via the run rule.
"After giving up that home run, whatever Maddie Penta wanted to work in the circle was working," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It fired her up a little bit. She had a good game against them earlier in the season. It is difficult to pitch well against the same team twice."
Sophomore Maddie Penta allowed one run, a solo home run from Megan Fortner to lead off the top of the second. Penta would go on to retire the next seven batters she faced with help of six strikeouts.
The right-hander closed the game with eight total strikeouts over her four innings of work. Penta now stands at 20-4 in the circle. She is tied with Makayla Martin (2017) for the ninth most individual wins recorded by a Tiger pitcher in a single season.
Junior KK Dismukes tossed the final inning of the game, striking out two.
At the plate, the Tigers recorded nine total, four of which went for extra bases. Junior Lindsey Garcia went 2-for-2 at the plate with a sacrifice fly and two RBI. In her first start of the season, sophomore Kelsey Schmidt went 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and a RBI.
Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week turned in a multi-RBI performance driving in a pair off a double in the fourth.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, senior Aspyn Godwin delivered the game-changing hit as she knocked a two-run home run to center to flip the scoreboard. Schmidt followed with a triple and scored on Garcia's team-leading fourth sacrifice fly.
With Godwin on via a one-out walk, Schmidt kicked off the five-run fourth inning with an RBI double to center. After swiping third, Schmidt scored on a two-out single up the middle off the bat of Garcia.
The Tigers would load the bases with an infield single from freshman Aubrie Lisenby and a walk to freshman Jessie Blaine. Ellis doubled to left to plate two before an errant throw to third base allowed sophomore pinch runner Paige Geraghty to score.
Sophomore Sydney Cox drove in the ninth Tiger run of the game with a single to right.
UP NEXT
Auburn concludes its stretch of nonconference competition on Wednesday at Jane B. Moore Field with a midweek rematch versus Chattanooga. First pitch on the SEC Network is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
