Womack, Walker lead Tigers to 10-3 win over Jax State

Womack, Walker lead Tigers to 10-3 win over Jax StateWomack, Walker lead Tigers to 10-3 win over Jax State
Noelle Iglesias/Auburn Tigers
Box Score

AUBURN, Ala. – After a rocky start, Auburn softball (21-10) bounced back with a pair of timely home runs, including a third grand slam this season from senior McKaela Walker, to take down Jacksonville State, 10-3, Wednesday at Jane B. Moore Field.

After drawing 12 walks at South Alabama on Tuesday, Auburn followed with eight free passes Wednesday and made the Gamecocks (20-9) pay with home runs from junior Ma’Nia Womack and Walker.

“We’ve done a good job lately of not letting teams stretch us out in the zone,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “You can look at any game and see pitchers trying to work the edges, and they fall behind. They’ve got to throw where it touches the plate for us to go for it.”

Walker finished with three hits, adding a double to go along with her grand slam, and drove in five of Auburn’s 10 runs. Womack drove in three runs with her first-inning home run. The duo is now tied for the team lead with 10 home runs apiece.

Ella Harrison went the distance to improve to 9-4. She allowed just two earned runs while scattering six hits. The right-hander shut out Jacksonville State over the final four frames and finished with five strikeouts.

Auburn couldn’t catch a break in the top of the first as two Gamecocks hits came via a ball lost in the sun and a foul ball with unusual spin that roll back into fair territory, bringing in the first run of the game. A single to right field extended the lead to 2-0.

The Auburn offense answered immediately. After a pair of walks put runners on base, Walker doubled in a run. Womack followed with a home run to straightaway center to give Auburn a 4-2 lead.

Errors plagued the Tigers in the third inning as two miscues led to an unearned run, cutting the lead to one. Freshman Delaney Aumua continued her run production with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame to push Auburn’s lead to 5-3.

“It’s a hard lesson of learning that these mistakes cost runs,” Malveaux added. “Until we come out ready, that’s something that we’re fighting right now. Maybe it is youth, but it can’t happen at this level. We’ve got to bring it to the field and be ready to go.”

Auburn added insurance in the fourth. Sophomore Kylie Shaw set the table with her second walk of the game before junior Hastings doubled her home to push the lead to three runs.

Auburn broke the game open in the sixth. With the bases loaded following two walks and a single from freshman Daigle Wilson, Walker delivered her third grand slam of the season to push the lead to 10-3. Harrison closed the game with her 300th career strikeout to secure a second straight midweek win for the Tigers.

“We’re kind of at the halfway point where the second half of the season is really getting going,” Malveaux added. “We’ve got to regroup, refresh a little and understand that we’ve got some ball to go for.”

GAME NOTES

  • Auburn is 17-1 this season when scoring at least six runs. In two seasons under Chris and Kate Malveaux, Auburn is 41-3 when scoring at least six runs.
  • Auburn has hit multiple home runs in 14 of its 31 contests and is 11-3 in those games.
  • Kylie Shaw matched her career high with three runs scored. She has reached that mark four times this season.
  • McKaela Walker tied her career high with three hits for her seventh multi-hit game of the season and the eighth of her career. Her double in the first inning brought her season total to five and her career total to seven. Walker’s grand slam in the sixth was her 10th home run of the season, bringing her career total to 12. She has hit three grand slams this season and now has seven multi-RBI games this year and 12 in her career.
  • AnnaLea Adams recorded two hits for her seventh multi-hit game of the season and the 21st of her career. Her double in the sixth inning was her seventh of the season and the 16th of her career.
  • Ma’Nia Womack’s first-inning home run was her 10th of the season, bringing her career total to 12. She now has nine multi-RBI games this season, which leads the team, and 11 in her career.
  • Alyssa Hastings doubled in the fourth inning, bringing her team-leading season total to eight and her career total to 33.
  • Ella Harrison threw her seventh complete game in an Auburn uniform and now has 25 complete games in her collegiate career. The win was her ninth of the season, bringing her career record to 21-22. With five strikeouts, she reached 300 for her career.

UP NEXT

Auburn’s midweek stretch continues Monday as the Tigers host Florida A&M at 5 p.m. CT at Jane B. Moore Field. The contest will air on SEC Network+. Fans can listen locally on WEGL 91.1 FM or stream the broadcast on the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app. It is Pickleball Night at Jane B. Moore Field, with a court set up for fans to participate pregame.