AUBURN, Ala. – In the final midweek test at Jane B. Moore Field, No. 18 Auburn softball (34-9) earned a 7-3 victory over Chattanooga (21-20) Wednesday evening to push its win streak to five games.
"We had a lot going on today," said head coach Mickey Dean. "Some of our hitters had really great games, some didn't. We had the chance to end the ballgame early three times and just couldn't get it done. We came out ready to play, played hard and did a good job early on. We just started coasting late, but I think we learned our lesson."
Earning the start, sophomore Maddie Penta tossed the first three innings of the game, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out four. Junior KK Dismukes tossed three scoreless innings of relief behind six strikeouts but faced troubled in the seventh as Chattanooga scored three runs. Penta re-entered the contest, securing the win by striking out the side.
Penta improved to 21-4 on the season. Penta is now tied with Kristen Keyes (2002) and Kaylee Carlson (2018) for the seventh most wins by a Tiger pitcher in a single season. Behind her seven strikeouts, Penta brought her season total to 201, the ninth most in a single season. She is the first Tiger pitcher to surpass 200 strikeouts in a season since Anna Thompson in 2010.
At the plate, sophomore Sydney Cox led the charge with a 3-for-3 performance with a two-run home run. Junior Lindsey Garcia turned in a 2-for-3 effort with a double. Sophomore Kelsey Schmidt drove in a pair of runs on a single in the fifth. Senior Aspyn Godwin went yard for the second straight game with a solo blast.
The Tigers struck in the bottom of the first. With two in scoring position, freshman Jessie Blaine drove in Garcia with a sacrifice fly to left. Cox pushed the Tiger lead to 3-0 with her homer to straightaway center.
Godwin led off the second with a solo home run to right center. A walk to Schmidt and a one-out double from Garcia again put two in scoring position. Freshman Aubrie Lisenby picked up an RBI with a ground ball to short. Schmidt pushed to lead to 7-0 with a two-out single up the middle in the fourth that drove in a pair of runs.
Auburn had a chance to end it early, leaving three runners stranded over the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn't find the timely hit.
Chattanooga loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with three straight singles. A wild pitch and a bases-clearing double cut the Tiger lead to 7-3. Penta re-entered the contest and slammed the door, striking out the next three batters she faced.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to Southeastern Conference action with a three-game series at Mississippi State. The series opens Friday on the SEC Network at 5:30 p.m. CT.