Auburn (25-17-1, 7-14) dropped the series to Ole Miss (28-23, 5-16) in Oxford despite winning a thriller in game one of the series on Friday night. Auburn won game one 2-1, but lost game two 4-2 and game three 7-2. For Auburn, it was another missed opportunity to pick up its second SEC series win.
The series started out with an 11-inning and four-hour-long game. Auburn came out victorious in that game in large part due to Maddie Penta's phenomenal pitching and two solo home runs from Icess Tresvik. Penta tied an Auburn record in the game with 18 strikeouts over nine innings pitched. Shelby Lowe threw two scoreless innings in the tenth and eleventh innings to ensure the Auburn win.
"It's better to win a four-hour game than lose it," said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean after game one. "It was a valiant effort from Maddie. She wanted to stay in, but her pitch count was reaching a stupid number. I told her we were going to get a run, and Shelby (Lowe) would get it done. Icess was due. She looked more relaxed tonight and was willing to go middle and opposite field. She's got the power."
Unfortunately, for the Tigers, the momentum of Friday night would not carry over into the rest of the series. Auburn jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in game two, but Ole Miss scored the next four runs of the game before Auburn tacked on one more at the end, but it was too little too late.
Auburn still had the chance to win the series on Sunday and after a day of rest, both Shelby Lowe and Maddie Penta were ready to pitch for the Tigers. The Rebels, however, came determined to find more success than they had in the first game. Lowe started the game for Auburn and gave up three runs over three innings pitched.
Auburn trailed 3-2 when Lowe exited and Penta came on for Auburn in the fourth attempting to hold Ole Miss at three runs. Penta struggled, though, allowing two home runs in the fourth inning. Ole Miss extended the lead to 6-2 thanks to the long ball.
Ole Miss added another run in the fifth to extend the lead to five runs. Penta was unable to recapture the magic she had on Friday night and neither was Auburn as a whole. The Tigers had multiple other opportunities to cut into Ole Miss's lead throughout the game but could not capitalize. It was a disappointing ending to a series that showed so much promise after Friday night.
Next up, Auburn will return home to face Alabama beginning Thursday in the final regular season series. The Tigers will have another opportunity to build their case to make a NCAA Regional. The first pitch of Thursday's game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. The game will air on ESPNU and the Auburn Sports Network.
