AUBURN, Ala. – Scoreless through eight innings, No. 21 Auburn softball (32-13, 9-6 SEC) and No. 13 LSU (34-10, 7-8 SEC) were locked in a gritty pitching duel, but Auburn's Makayla Packer came up with a clutch two-out base hit in the bottom of the ninth to walk off a 1-0 victory to clinch the series Sunday at Jane B. Moore Field.
"Right now, I am very excited I pulled through for my team," Packer said. "Penta was working her butt off, so we knew someone had to step up and have her back. I was just trying to stay focused, stay behind the ball and stay in my legs. It worked out, and we got a huge win that is going to set us up for a successful postseason down the road."
The dramatic walk off was Auburn's first extra inning victory of the 2023 season. It secured Auburn's first series win over LSU since 2017. It was Auburn's third series win in conference play this year.
"That's the kind of game where you're just cheering for the kid in the box because the pitchers on both sides this weekend were lights out," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It wasn't like it was bad hitting. It was just phenomenal pitching and defense on both ends. There were a lot of clutch plays from both teams. If you're not coming to these games, you're missing out."
Maddie Penta put on a pitching clinic through 8.2 innings as she shut out LSU's lethal offense. Penta scattered four hits and a pair of walks. She struck out seven. Shelby Lowe entered the game in the top of ninth for a critical lefty-lefty matchup. She secured the strikeout and earned the win in relief to improve to 4-3.
"I'm tired but very excited my team pulled through at the end of the game." Penta said. "You don't get many pitching duels anymore. My defense really had my back and made some great plays. I wasn't expecting to get as many strikeouts today because they just don't strike out, but my defense was right there every time."
Penta and LSU's pitching duo of Raelin Chaffin and Sydney Berzon combined to strand 12 total batters through the first eight innings of the game. The Bayou Bengals looked poised to make a move in the top of the ninth with a pair of singles to lead off the inning. Nelia Peralta turned a heads-up double play to help eliminate the scoring threat before Lowe's strikeout.
Setting up Auburn's walk-off victory was Icess Trevik. She lined a ball by the LSU third baseman just fair for a single before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Rose Roach. Packer singled to right field, allowing Tresvik to make the slide out of the reach of a diving catcher. The call was reviewed and upheld as safe.
The Tigers continue their home stand on Wednesday, April 19 when Jacksonville State treks to Jane B. Moore Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT. The midweek tilt is available on the SEC Network+. Wednesday is also designated as Auburn's annual "Bark in the Park" game as four-legged fans are welcome.