AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn softball started their season off with a hot start going 4-1 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Maddie Penta went a perfect 3-0 in her starts, pitching three shutouts.
Over 15 innings of work in Clearwater, Penta allowed only eight hits to hold opponents to a .145 average at the plate. The Chesapeake City, Maryland, native recorded double-digit strikeouts against Fordham and Indiana, closing opening weekend with 31 strikeouts.
With the addition of her 31 strikeouts over the weekend, Penta surpassed 400 career strikeouts. The junior is only the fifth pitcher in program history to reach that mark.
Penta has won five SEC weekly honors over her career. This marks her second SEC Pitcher of the Week selection after winning the award in March of 2022.
The right-hander currently leads the SEC in earned run average, innings pitched, strikeouts and wins.
Penta and the No. 21 Auburn softball return to Jane B. Moore Field for the first time in 2023 to host Austin Peay, Villanova and Dayton for the Tiger Invitational. Auburn opens the three-day tournament on Friday with a game against at 3 p.m. CT before facing off against Villanova at 5:30 p.m.
