FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Trailing by a pair of runs, No. 17 Auburn softball (29-8, 7-7 SEC) battled to tie the game, but a late sixth-inning run for No. 10 Arkansas (27-7, 8-3) proved the difference in Saturday's 4-3 contest at Bogle Park.
"We battled our butts off," said head coach Mickey Dean. "That's all you can ask. We out hit them. I thought Maddie (Penta) pitched one hell of a game. If you look for anything in that game that was the difference: when we had runners on first and second, the next batter up was unable to move them. Other than that, we battled, and I am proud of our kids."
At the plate, Auburn out hit the Razorbacks eight to six. Freshman Bri Ellis turned in a multi-hit effort as she went 2-for-3 with a double. Moved down in the order, sophomore Makayla Packer came in clutch with a two-run homer in the fifth to tie the game for the Tigers.
In the circle, sophomore Maddie Penta (18-4) turned in a gutsy performance against Arkansas's high-power lineup to keep the Tigers in the game. Penta stranded six base runners in the contest and struck out a total of seven.
The first run of the game was manufactured by freshman Aubrie Lisenby. Lisenby doubled to right center before moving to third on a wild pitch. She would come around to score on a passed ball to give Auburn an early lead.
Arkansas answered in the home half of the opening frame as a two-out walk was followed by a home run to straightaway center from Danielle Gibson. The Razorbacks used a second two-out rally in the third as a walk and a pair of singles extended their lead to 3-1.
Auburn left five stranded and kept off the scoreboard until the top of the fifth. Packer stepped to the plate with one on and two outs. The sophomore slugged her eighth home run of the season with a shot to center to tie the game.
The Razorbacks regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth as a sacrifice fly to left plated the go-ahead run.
Auburn put the tying run in scoring position in the seventh as Ellis slugged a two-run double over the head of Arkansas's right fielder. Sophomore pinch runner Kelsey Schmidt took third on a wild pitch, but the Tigers couldn't find the equalizing hit as back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.
UP NEXT
Sunday's series finale in Fayetteville is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on the SEC Network+.