AUBURN, Ala. – A pair of home runs provided the difference as Mississippi State softball fell, 3-0, at No. 17 Auburn to close the regular season.
The first homer for the Tigers (39-16, 15-9 SEC) nearly stayed in the ballpark. Brylie St. Clair made an incredible effort in the third inning to bring the ball back, but the impact with the wall jarred the ball out of her glove where it rested atop the fence for a moment before rolling over. A leadoff walk followed by a homer in the fourth would result in the final score.
“I thought she had it for a second, and then the wall caused the collision with the ball going over,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “It’s an unfortunate bounce, and it’s something that you hate to see especially in a big moment like that. She’s one of our best outfielders, and we trust her to make the plays in big moments like that. I have no doubt that she’ll bounce back from it.”
Chloe Malau’ulu opened the ballgame with a single, but that would be State’s (28-24, 7-16 SEC) only hit of the day. Aquana Brownlee walked twice, and Kiersten Landers also drew a free pass.
“I think you definitely have to tip your cap to Maddie Penta and Auburn,” Ricketts said. “She’s one of the best pitchers in the country, and she’s just got an elite mix. She keeps you guessing all game long. It was just hard to find a rhythm off of her up and down the lineup from early on to the…
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