TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It was a tied game heading into the sixth inning Sunday at JoAnne Graf Field, but Auburn softball (29-21-1) was unable to hold off a late push by No. 12 Florida State (46-14) as the Seminoles took a 10-4 victory, ending the 2024 season for the Tigers.
"I'm very proud of our team and their effort this season," said Mickey Dean, following his final game as head coach of the Tigers. "All the work that they put in, especially the work of being good people with high moral character. That's going to make our program so much better moving forward. I'm proud of them. Florida State played a great game, and I wish them the best of luck. I'm just glad I got to share my last game with this group of players."
Auburn tallied seven hits and took advantage of eight free passes to keep traffic on the bases throughout the contest. Nelia Peralta came up with a huge two-out single that bounced through the right side to drive in the first runs of the game, putting the Tigers up 2-0 after two innings.
Florida State answered in the top of the third with a three-run home run from Michaela Edenfield. Auburn continued to apply pressure, breaking through yet again in the fifth as Annabelle Widra locked the game up at 3-3 with an RBI single.
The Seminoles used a two-out rally in the top of the sixth to plate seven runs to take a 10-3 advantage. The Tigers battled to the final out with KK McCrary delivering her second home run of the Tallahassee Regional with a solo blast in the bottom of the sixth.
Sunday saw the legendary careers of Maddie Penta, Shelby Lowe and Makayla Packer come to a close. The Tiger senior class combined for 139 wins, led Auburn to four consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and each left their mark on the Auburn softball record book.