STARKVILLE, Miss. –Following an overturned play at the plate that gave Mississippi State (29-17, 8-8 SEC) the lead, No. 18 Auburn softball (34-10, 7-9 SEC) rallied in the seventh to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but fell just short as the Bulldogs held on for a 3-2 win at Nusz Park.
"We had great energy all night long," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We just have to play with a better knowledge and understanding situations and what their pitcher is trying to do. We had situations where we could have made plays, but we were swinging at balls over our heads early in the count. Maddie (Penta) had one bad inning. It started with an error and all the sudden she went a little wild and wasn't hitting her spots. The put up a three spot. I don't agree with the call at the plate, but that's something that needs to go to the rules committee for further review. I don't understand how obstruction can be called when you are in a rundown."
Through the first three innings, Auburn had only one base runner as Makayla Packer reached on a hit by pitch in the third inning.
The first Tiger hit of the contest came in the top of the fourth inning as freshman Nelia Peralta knocked a one-out single just out of the reach of Bulldog first baseman Riley Hull. Freshman Bri Ellis plated the first runs of the game with her 17th home run of the season as she drove a line drive off the scoreboard in left field.
Ellis is now tied for eighth in Auburn single-season history with Ashley Moore (2002) and Holly Currie (2005) for home runs. She is just one shy of tying Kasey Cooper's freshman record of 18.
After giving up a leadoff single to open the game, sophomore Maddie Penta retired 10 straight and did not allow a Bulldog to reach base again until the fourth inning. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks, but sophomore Sydney Cox held on to a hot shot at third base to retire the side.
With one on via an error in the bottom of the fifth, Shea Moreno homered to left field. State got another runner on board with a hit by pitch ahead of Paige Cook. Cook knocked a single to right field. The Tigers relayed the ball to the plate in time to force a pickle, ultimately tagging Mississippi State's Phoebe Florian out at the plate. The play was reviewed and overturned for obstruction, giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.
The Tigers try to mount a rally in the bottom of the seventh as senior Aspyn Godwin drew a four-pitch walk to bring the tying run to the plate. After a sacrifice bunt, junior Lindsey Garcia singled up the middle and took second on the throw to put the go-ahead in scoring position. A strikeout and a fly out to shallow center ended the threat.
UP NEXT
The Tigers look to even the series on Saturday. First pitch on the SEC Network is set for 4 p.m. CT.