OXFORD, Miss. – It took 11 innings and gutsy performances from upperclassmen Maddie Penta and Icess Trevik, but Auburn softball (25-15-1, 7-12 SEC) notched a 2-1 extra-inning victory over Ole Miss (26-23,3-16 SEC) Friday night at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
"It's better to win a four-hour game than lose it," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It was a valiant effort from Maddie. She wanted to stay in, but her pitch count was reaching a stupid number. I told her we were going to get a run, and Shelby (Lowe) would get it done. Icess was due. She looked more relaxed tonight and was willing to go middle and opposite field. She's got the power."
In her first multi-home run game as a Tiger, Tresvik was clutch with her late-inning heroics. She delivered a two-out homer to straightaway center in the top of the sixth to tie the game and ultimately forced extra innings. She came through yet again in the top of the 11th inning with her second solo blast, this time to right field, to put Auburn in front.
Tresvik closed the game 3-for-4 at the plate as she also added a single. KK McCrary turned in a multi-hit effort as she went 3-for-5 with a walk. The duo combined for six of Auburn's 10 hits.
Penta gave up a bases-loaded walk in the third inning to give Ole Miss a lead, but that would be the only Rebel run to score as she and Lowe combined to leave 14 stranded on base. Though she didn't factor into the win, Penta was crucial down the stretch with six strikeouts in her final two innings of work to keep the score locked.
Giving up a leadoff triple in the ninth, Penta fired back with three straight strikeouts. She left the game with 18 over her nine innings of work to tie Anna Thompson for the program's record for most strikeouts in a single game. Thompson set the record on Feb. 20, 2009, at Middle Tennessee. Penta's efforts also secured her third consecutive season with 200 or more strikeouts.
Lowe earned the win in relief to improve to 8-3 on the season. The lefty tossed a pair of hitless innings and struck out two.
The Tigers go for their second consecutive road SEC series win on Saturday. First pitch on the SEC Network+ is set for 3 p.m. CT.
