Auburn, Alabama (EETV) No. 19 Auburn softball defeated Mercer in just six innings, 10-0, Wednesday night at Sikes Field.
Sophomore Maddie Penta kept Mercer hitless until the fifth inning, allowing just one single on the night. She also struck out seven and had one walk. Penta improved her record to 19-4 and is now tied for the 10th most individual wins by an Auburn pitcher in a single season. Junior KK Dismukes also appeared on the mound as she struck out two in the sixth inning.
The Tigers scored first with three runs in the top of the third inning. Freshman Abbey Smith led off the inning with a single to center before Junior Lindsey Garcia hit a two-run homer to left center. After back-to-back fly-outs, Freshman Bri Ellis knocked a solo home run into deep center
Ellis led Auburn's hot scoring going 2-for-3 at the plate including a career-high three RBIs. Her two-run single in the sixth inning allowed Auburn to go up a decisive 10-0. She now leads the team with 14 home runs and is just four shy of tying Auburn's freshman home run record (Kasey Cooper).
Freshman Jessie Blaine recorded her seventh multi-RBI performance of the season as she drove in two with a double in the sixth. Freshman Rose Roach returned to the starting lineup and picked up two infield singles. Roach's steal attempt in the fourth inning caused two Mercer errors, allowing herself to score.
“We had several members of the team step up,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “We were able to give them additional playing time and at-bats, and they did a nice job. We’re trying to give people some rest, so I thought our young team did a nice job stepping up. Maddie didn’t leave out defense out there a long time, and KK did a nice job to close it out.”
Auburn continues nonconference play this weekend with a three-game series against Niagra at Jane B. Moore Field. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday at 2 p.m. CT.
