AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn softball earned a win against North Alabama in the Rocket City Showcase in Madison, Alabama. With a low score of 2-1, the Tigers secured a victory after a tough loss to Louisiana Tech.
Left-handed pitcher SJ Geurin started the game with a quick strikeout against her first batter. North Alabama got on the board early with Hailey Jones hitting an RBI to allow Briley Dover to score.
At the bottom of the first, Alivia Wilken, pitching for North Alabama, started strong with two strikeouts against Auburn. However, Auburn’s offense heated up quickly with Nelia Peralta hitting a double. Peralta was then able to score, making the score 1-1 courtesy of KK McCrary’s single to center field.
Auburn pitcher SJ Geurin again struck out the first batter she saw in the top of the second inning. Ryleigh Boyett for UNA followed with a chippy single, but strikeout No. 3 for Geurin shut down UNA’s offense. Auburn’s Amelia Lech got a free base when she was hit by a pitch. Wilken for North Alabama struck out two more Auburn batters in the second to keep the score 1-1.
The third inning began with two groundouts for Auburn’s defense. Following that, a quick pop-up put North Alabama back in the infield. Wilken secured her fourth and fifth strikeouts of the game against Auburn’s hitters at the bottom of the third.
The top of the fourth inning started fast with a flyout and strikeout. Roberson singled for North Alabama, however, a groundout to second base put Auburn back at bat. A home run by KK McCrary gave Auburn a 2-1 lead at the bottom of the inning. Amelia Lech was hit again by a pitch, giving her another free base. Lech attempted to steal second but missed the base, giving North Alabama their third out of the inning.
The start of the fifth inning started with a free base for North Alabama’s Kylei Russell when she was hit by a pitch. Caroline Cartron lined out, giving Auburn an out. A new pitcher, Chalea Clemmons, came into the game for Auburn. Clemmons was able to shut down North Alabama’s offense. Wilken got another strikeout on the mound. Peralta almost hit a home run but was robbed by North Alabama’s center fielder, Gyvan Hammon, with an outstanding catch at the fence.
Three fly-outs got Auburn all of their outs in the sixth inning. With a quick turnaround, North Alabama changed pitchers from Alivia Wilken to right-handed pitcher Emily Simon. Wilken had a very impressive game for North Alabama. She pitched five innings, allowing only three hits and striking out six Auburn players.
Simon started by walking Auburn’s Icess Tresvik. Tresvik stole second base but sustained a hand injury during the steal. Thankfully, she was able to stay in the game. Emily Simon came in hot and struck out three Auburn batters back-to-back after to end the sixth.
In the top of the seventh inning, North Alabama had its last chance to tie or win the game. Clemmons walked the first North Alabama batter, Jorja Roberson. Boyett hit a single, allowing Davis (pinch-running for Roberson) to advance to third base. However, Kylei Russell lined out to shortstop, giving Auburn their second out. A huge strikeout pitch by Clemmons ended the game giving the Auburn Tigers a win.
Auburn will play Miami (Ohio) at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The Rocket City Showcase will conclude Sunday for Auburn, where they will play Jacksonville State at 3 p.m. CT. Both games can be streamed on FloCollege, as well as available for listening on WEGL 91.1 FM.
