AUBURN, Ala. – Powered by a combine shutout effort from its pitching staff and home runs from the sophomore duo of Bri Ellis and Icess Tresvik, No. 19 Auburn softball (33-13) defeated Jacksonville State (26-14) 3-0 Wednesday night at Jane B. Moore Field.
"All three of our pitchers worked ahead," said head coach Mickey Dean. "That forced JSU to hit their pitches. We played some great defense behind them. We're taking pride in our defense. Defense is what gets you to where you want to go."
Auburn totaled six hits in the contest, including the pair of home runs from Ellis and Tresvik. Aubrie Lisenby, Lindsey Garcia and Makayla Packer knocked singles in the midweek contest as Auburn improved to 6-1 against in-state opponents.
Nelia Peralta drew her 34th walk of the season to lead off the game for the Tigers. She has now reached safely in 43 of Auburn's 46 contests.
Fresh off becoming a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Maddie Penta earned the starting nod. The right-handed allowed two hits and a walk in three scoreless innings. She fanned three batters, which included her 600th career strikeout. Penta is just the fourth pitcher in school history to hit the milestone.
Shelby Lowe earned the win in relief to improve to 5-4 on the season. In two innings of work, Lowe have up a lone hit and struck out one. Annabelle Widra earned her second save of the year as she tossed the final two innings for the Tigers. Widra gave up a base hit and picked up two strikeouts in the seventh inning.
The shutout victory was Auburn's 19th of the season, tying the 2008 square for the fourth most shutouts recorded in a single season on the Plains.
Auburn jumped out to a first-inning lead behind clutch two-out offense. With Nelia Peralta standing at first after a leadoff walk, Ellis provided the power with her 11th home run of the season. Her drive to left center was her 31st career blast, moving her into 10th outright in program history.
"I went up to the plate a little excited," Ellis said. "I swung at a ball over my head, and I don't usually do that. I told myself during the at bat let it get deep and trust your hands. It was a good pitch to hit."
The score held until Tresvik delivered insurance to the fifth, leading off with a solo home run to left field.
"They were throwing me outside the zone," Tresvik said. "I knew that they were going to make a mistake and throw me an inside pitch. That's exactly what happened."
In another pivotal SEC series, Auburn treks to Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2017 to face No. 14 Alabama. The series begins Friday with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on the SEC Network.