Behind its trio of pitchers, No. 19 Auburn (33-13) took down Jacksonville State (26-14) in a shutout victory on Wednesday night, 3-0. The combination of Maddie Penta in the starting spot, Shelby Lowe earning the win in relief and Anabelle Widra with her second save of the year held the Gamecocks to seven scoreless innings.
“All three of our pitchers worked ahead,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “That forced JSU to hit their pitches. We played some great defense behind them. We’re taking pride in our defense. Defense is what gets you to where you want to go.”
Penta gave up two hits but also secured three strikeouts, including the 600th of her career. She is just the fourth pitcher in program history to reach that mark.
The Tigers did not generate much offense, but a pair of home runs from Bri Ellis and Icess Tresvik put Auburn on the board and was enough for the win. Eliis is Auburn's home run leader, and she showed why with a two-run home run in the first inning giving Auburn the early lead and giving Jacksonville State starter Jaliyah Holmes the loss.
“I went up to the plate a little excited,” Ellis said. “I swung at a ball over my head, and I don’t usually do that. I told myself during the at-bat let it get deep and trust your hands. It was a good pitch to hit.”
Auburn ended the game with six hits, but the only scoring came from Ellis in that first inning and Tresvik's solo shot to lead off the fifth inning. It was her seventh home run of the season and helped seal the victory for Auburn.
“They were throwing me outside the zone,” Tresvik said. “I knew that they were going to make a mistake and throw me an inside pitch. That’s exactly what happened.”
Auburn will now go back on the road and travel to Tuscaloosa for a crucial battle with No. 14 Alabama. The first pitch is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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