Auburn softball sweeps Saturday doubleheader, wins Kentucky series

Auburn softball sweeps Saturday doubleheader, wins Kentucky seriesAuburn softball sweeps Saturday doubleheader, wins Kentucky series
Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers
  • Game 1
  • Game 2
Box Score

AUBURN, Ala. – Coming out on top in a marathon 13-inning rubber game, Auburn softball (19-7, 2-1 SEC) swept Saturday’s doubleheader at Jane B. Moore Field to clinch an SEC series win over Kentucky (19-6, 1-2 SEC).

“This is what you dream of when you think about playing in the SEC,” said junior Alyssa Hastings, who knocked the walk-off winner. “We knew we were going to face adversity today. We just had to lean on each other and stick together to get through those innings.”

Junior SJ Geurin tossed five scoreless frames and left nine Wildcats stranded in a complete game effort while the offense broke through with 10 hits to even the series with a 6-2 victory.

The rubber game featured an over two-hour rain delay and took 13 innings to decide. Hastings recorded a four-hit performance, but none was bigger than her walk-off double to secure the series win. Geurin tossed 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn both victories in the sweep.

“It was very hard to see her pitches (Sarah Haendiges),” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “No matter how many conversations we had, we could not pick up what she was throwing. Alyssa Hastings is thinking like a pro right now and had pinpointed what pitches she was able to pick out. It was a dream of hers to play here. Her parents went to school here. I think there were moments when she had to prove to herself that she could play at this level. Everyone knows that she can. What an incredible, determined competitor. She was locked in the whole time. It was big for her confidence moving forward to have a series-winning hit like that.”

AUBURN 6, KENTUCKY 2

Kentucky jumped out early as two frees passes and a wild pitch put runners on the corners with one out in the first inning. A single to right field plated a run for the Wildcats. That would be the last Kentucky hit off Geurin until the sixth inning.

Auburn took advantage of a Kentucky error in the bottom of the first to take the lead. With two in scoring position with two outs, a wild throw to first base extended the inning and brought in two Tiger runs.

The 2-1 lead held until the fourth inning as freshman Delaney Aumua and Hastings traded a pair of doubles. Hastings’ two-out hit off the outfield wall drove in the insurance run.

The Tigers added more insurance in the sixth as Aumua and pinch hitter Daigle Willson knocked back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Sophomore Kylie Shaw doubled through the left side to bring in the first run. A sacrifice fly from senior McKaela Walker pushed the lead to 5-1. Another UK error in the infield brought in the third run of the sixth inning.

Through the middle innings, Geurin allowed just three free passes and shut down every scoring threat. Kentucky would not record a hit again until knocking a pair of singles in the sixth, but Geurin once again hung a zero on the board.

Kentucky used a pair of singles in the seventh inning to manufacture a run to cut the score to 6-2 but Geurin closed the game with her third strikeout to cap the complete-game performance.

GAME NOTES: KENTUCKY GAME ONE

  • With her walk in the first inning, Kylie Shaw extended her reached base streak to 25 consecutive games. Shaw added a double in the sixth inning. It was her fourth double of the season.
  • With her single in the first inning, McKaela Walker to extend her hit streak to nine games.
  • Delaney Aumua recorded the first multi-hit contest of her career with a 3-for-3 outing. She added her second double of the season. She set career highs in both hits and runs scored (2).
  • With a double in the third inning, Alyssa Hastings upped her season total to five. It was the 31st double of her career. Hastings finished 2-for-4 for her sixth multi-hit contest of the season. It marked the 36th multi-hit game of her career.
  • SJ Geurin earned her third win of the season. It was her 28th collegiate victory. It was her second complete-game effort of the year. She now has seven career complete games.

AUBURN 6, KENTUCKY 5

After a scoreless first frame, Kentucky used a pair of hits to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The Tigers took advantage of a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame as freshman Ava Ratliff doubled the run home to tie things up.

Sophomore Ella Harrison and Kentucky’s Hailey Nutter went toe-to-toe in the third inning before a weather delay halted the game for over two hours in the fourth.

Kentucky came out of the delay with a single up the middle to take a 2-1 lead. Auburn countered in the home half with three runs. Aumua doubled in the game-tying run ahead of a two-out blast from junior Ma’Nia Womack put the Tigers in front.

Both teams scored in the fifth as Kentucky drew a bases-loaded walk to make it a 3-4 contest before AnnaLea Adams doubled home an insurance to build the lead back up to two. Kentucky forced extra innings with a pair of home runs in the top of the seventh.

Relief pitching from both sides took over to keep the game locked at five. Kentucky’s Sarah Haendiges and the Tiger relief duo of redshirt freshman Abby Herndon and Geurin combined to leave 10 runners stranded and tossed five scoreless innings in extras.

Auburn finally broke through in the bottom of the 13th inning. With two on via walks and one out, Hastings delivered the double to the left center wall to clinch the series.

Harrison tossed 6.1 innings in the start and struck out seven. Geurin earned the victory in relief behind 4.2 scoreless innings to move to 4-3.

GAME NOTES: KENTUCKY GAME TWO

  • The 13-inning contest was the longest in the series history between Kentucky and the Tigers. Auburn has now won back-to-back series over Kentucky for the first time since 2018.
  • Auburn opened SEC play with a series win for the first time since 2022 when the Tigers swept Texas A&M.
  • Auburn tied its SEC single-game record with seven doubles. It was just the third time Auburn has hit seven or more doubles in a game and the first time since 2011.
  • McKaela Walker extended her hit streak to 10 consecutive games with her first-inning double. It was the fourth double of the season for Walker, upping her career total to five.
  • With her double in the second inning, Ava Ratliff upped her season total to four.
  • Delaney Aumua doubled in the fourth inning to up her season total to three.
  • Ma’Nia Womack slugged her eighth home run of the season. It was the 10th home run of her career. Driving in two runs, it was her seventh multi-RBI game of the season and the ninth of her career.
  • With her double in the fifth inning, AnnaLea Adams brought her season total to six. It was the 15th double of her career.
  • Kyla Stroud knocked a pinch-hit double in the sixth inning. It was her fifth double of the season.
  • With her double in the ninth inning, Kylie Shaw extended her reached base streak to 26 consecutive games. It was her fifth double of the season.
  • Destiny Rodriguez knocked a pair of hits for her team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the season. It was the 24th of her career.
  • Alyssa Hastings tied her career high with four hits, which she has done twice previously. Her last four-hit effort came on March 1, 2025. She is the first Tiger to record four hits in a game since Nelia Peralta versus Southern Illinois on Feb. 8, 2025. It was her seventh multi-hit contest of the season. It marked the 37th multi-hit game of her career. Hastings’ walk-off double was her sixth double of the season and the 32nd double of her collegiate career.
  • Ella Harrison has struck out at least five batters in eight of her 16 appearances.
  • SJ Geurin earned her fourth win of the season. It was her 29th collegiate victory.

UP NEXT

The Tigers continue Southeastern Conference play next weekend with a three-game series at No. 4 Oklahoma. The series begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT from Love’s Field. All three contests are available on the SEC Network+. Fans can listen locally on WEGL 91.1 FM. The radio call can also be streamed on the Auburn Tigers mobile app and website.