AUBURN, Ala. – Following an over two-hour rain delay, No. 20 Auburn softball's contest versus No. 23 Virginia Tech was officially called after six innings, resulting in a 5-5 tie Saturday evening at Jane B. Moore Field.
The remaining games of Saturday's Tiger Invite slate were canceled and will not be rescheduled, which includes Auburn's contest versus Illinois that was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
Saturday's rematch with the Hokies pitted aces Maddie Penta and Emma Lemley against one another in the circle in an anticipated matchup. Penta held the advantage early as she held Virginia Tech to one hit through the first four innings and closed Friday with eight strikeouts.
It was Auburn (1-1-1) that pushed across the first run of the game with a solo home run from KK McCrary in the bottom of the third. The lead held until the fifth when the Hokies strung together a two-out rally with help of a costly Auburn error to score three runs to take the lead.
Free passes cost Virginia Tech in the bottom of the fifth as back-to-back walks put the tying run on base. Pinch runner Abbey Smith used a pair of wild pitches to score a run and cut the Hokie lead to one. Amelia Lech slugged her second home run of the tournament to put Auburn back in front 4-3.
A two-run homer from Rachel Castine flipped the scoreboard in favor of Virginia Tech in the sixth before Auburn took advantage of a Hokie error to tie the game at 5-5 in the home half.
Both teams attempted to finish the final inning before play was suspended due to rain. Ultimately, the decision was made that the game was unable to reach the regulation seven innings, reverting to the last fully completed inning.
This marks Auburn's first tie since the 2014 season and just the third tie in program history.
UP NEXT
Auburn concludes the Tiger Invite on Sunday with a 2 p.m. CT versus Belmont. The contest is available on the SEC Network+. With inclement weather in the forecast, fans are encouraged to check the Auburn Softball official social media accounts for updates to schedule.