AUBURN — Despite three home runs from the Trojans (28-11-1), No. 21 Auburn (30-12) was able to pick up its second win in a row and 30th of the season on Wednesday, taking down Troy 7-5 in a midweek nonconference matchup.
Auburn trailed early after a two-run home run from Libby Baker put Troy in front during the top of the first, but the Tigers responded with three runs of their own kicked off by an RBI double from KK McCrary brought Nelia Peralta home.
"I thought we hit the ball well, ran the bases well, and I thought we played good defense,” said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean. “The key is always to answer back, and I thought we were able to do that. When you answer back, it keeps the momentum on your side. We knew they were going to come in here ready. They didn't play well at their place, and they're a really good team. We knew they were going to come in here tonight ready to play."
After a Lindsey Garcia walk and fly-out from Denver Bryant advanced both base runners, Bri Ellis stepped to the plate and delivered like so many times before. Ellis brought in both runs with an RBI double, giving Auburn a 3-2 lead as the teams headed to the top of the second. It wound up being Ellis' only at-bat of the night, but a vital one.
With Ellis limited to one at-bat, the Tigers were led by McCrary, who finished the night 2-for-4 at the plate and capped off Auburn's scoring run with a 2 RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, extending the Tigers' lead 7-3.
"It felt great to get a win,” McCrary said. “They're a good team. We've been working on hitting in high-pressure situations in practice, so I was really happy that I was able to come through for my team."
On the defensive side, Maddie Penta gave up three runs in the first two innings, but the junior pitcher shut down Troy for the next three innings, earning her 18th win of the year. Penta's performance at the circle helped set up Shelby Lowe, who earned her first save of the season, the seventh of her career, which makes her tied for seventh-most in program history.
This is the fourth time in six seasons that Auburn has reached 30 wins under head coach Mickey Dean. Dean and the Tigers will be back home again for a weekend series against No. 13 LSU. The series begins with a Friday night contest, and the first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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