SATURDAY'S SCORES
Ole Miss 10,
Belmont 2
Troy 3,
Belmont 1
@Auburn 8,
Southeast Missouri 0
@Auburn 5,
Southeast Missouri 1
Tennessee Tech 2, Western Carolina 1
Tennessee Tech 5, @Alabama State 1
Southern Illinois 3,
Murray State 1
@Southern Miss 2,
Murray State 1
OLE MISS 10, BELMONT 2; TROY 3, BELMONT 1
TROY, Ala - Belmont Softball opened its 2021 campaign on the road Saturday with a stop at the Trojan Classic, hosted by Troy. The Bruins (0-2) were held off by Ole Miss (2-0), 10-2, before being edged in the nightcap by host-Troy (2-0), 3-1.
After two tightly played innings to begin the game, Ole Miss was the first to make a mark on the scoreboard in the top of the third frame. A double opened the door for a homerun by Paige Smith to clear the bases. The Rebels added one more in the same inning, taking advantage of a dropped fly to send another runner over the plate to take a 3-0 lead. In the following inning, Ole Miss exploded behind a pair of homeruns that put the scoreboard visitors ahead, 7-0. Belmont switched to freshman Alex Clesi (Mandeville, La.) inside the circle to close out the contest.
The Rebels unloaded again in the top of the sixth inning. Using two more homeruns, Ole Miss pulled ahead 10-0. BU continued to fight and made quick moves in its half of the frame. After the first out, senior Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) reached first on four balls and was moved to second after a ground out. Junior Audrey Lyle (Westlake, Ohio) smashed her first homerun of the season to get the Bruins on the board. Unfortunately, the Bruins were unable to send another runner of the plate to extend the contest and fell, 10-2.
In the nightcap, Belmont and host-Troy were offensively silent through the first three innings of play. This time it would be the Bruins who would make a mark on the scoreboard first. In the top of the fourth inning, Lyle singled and was joined on base by senior Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) who reached on four balls. Sophomore Abi Ledbetter (Livingston, Tenn.) drove a single up the middle to load the bases before Kailey Brown (San Antonio, Texas) hit a hard single to the shortstop allowing Lyle to turn on the jets to get over the plate.
The Trojans were able to knot the score in their half of the same inning. The teams remained locked in the 1-1 stalemate until Troy made a move in the bottom of the fifth. The home team used a pair of singles and a steal to get runners into scoring position before a double sent two over home plate for the lead. BU hustled to make up ground in its half of both the sixth and seventh innings but stranded runners in its attempts. The response allowed Troy to hold on for the slim 3-1 win.
For the day, Ledbetter and Lyle both went 2-for-5 at the plate. Lyle paced the Bruins with a pair of runs and two RBI. Sophomore MyKayla Spurlin (Madisonville, Ky.) knocked the team's first double of the season. Inside the circle, senior Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) logged a pair of appearances and led the pitching staff with four strikeouts. Brown tallied three strikeouts in the efforts.
AUBURN 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; AUBURN 5, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
AUBURN, Ala.- Southeastern Conference member Auburn (2-0) threw a no-hitter in game one and used a four-run sixth inning in the nightcap to complete a doubleheader sweep of Southeast Missouri (0-2) Saturday. The Tigers won by scores of 8-0 and 5-1.
Maddie Penta tossed a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts to lead Auburn to its shutout in game one.
Only four Redhawks reached base against Penta, none of which made it into scoring position. All four of SEMO's baserunners walked.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning courtesy of a two-run home run to left by three-hole hitter Kelsey Schmidt.
After adding two more runs in the second, Auburn scored four more in the third inning. Aspyn Godwin smacked a three-run home run and Makayla Packer scored an unearned run aided by an error with the bases loaded to finish off the eight-run win.
Penta (1-0) faced 18 hitters in her complete game no-hit shutout.
Rachel Rook (0-1) took the loss giving up four runs on three hits in two innings. Rook also struck out two and walked two.
Katie Dreiling relieved Rook in the third and allowed four runs on two hits in two innings during her first career appearance as a Redhawk. Dreiling, too, finished with a pair of strikeouts.
Additionally, Auburn tallied five hits and SEMO committed three errors.
Both teams were scoreless through four-and-a-half innings before Auburn broke the deadlock with a run in the bottom of the fifth of game two.
The Tigers used an infield hit and back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases. Sydney Cox touched home when Kaylee Horton grounded out to grab Auburn a 1-0 edge.
SEMO tied things up in the top of the sixth when Ashley Ellis hit a leadoff double down the right field line and scored on a one-out double by Karsyn Davis. The Redhawks would leave a runner stranded at second base leaving the score at 1-1.
The Tigers, however, answered with their big inning in the bottom half of the sixth.
Godwin regained the lead for Auburn with a two-RBI triple to center and scored on an ensuing double by Packer. Packer later scored on a groundout to put the Tigers ahead, 5-1.
SEMO outhit Auburn, 10-9, in game two with Ellis, Davis and Ashley Emert leading the way with two hits each. Rachel Anderson also walked twice in the doubleheader and, as a result, tied the program's all-time career record in bases on balls.
Anderson and Alex Ramirez (2007-10) each have 88 career walks.
Paytience Holman (0-1) suffered the loss. Holman gave up nine hits, five runs, struck out six and walked one in 5.1 innings.
The Redhawks and Tigers wrap up their series with one more game at 12 p.m., CT Sunday.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, MURRAY STATE 1; SOUTHERN MISS 2, MURRAY STATE 1
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Recap coming soon.
TENNESSEE TECH 2, WESTERN CAROLINA 1; TENNESSEE TECH 5, ALABAMA STATE 1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Recap coming soon.