softball’s 11-6 loss to UCF

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Rewinding Auburn softball’s 11-6 loss to UCF in the NCAA Tournament’s Tallahassee Regional

Updated: May. 17, 2024, 4:36 p.m.|Published: May. 17, 2024, 12:53 p.m.

9–11 minutes

AUBURN, AL - MARCH 31 - The Auburn Tigers during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the #4 Tennessee Volunteers at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, AL on Sunday, March 31, 2024. Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn TigersZach Bland/Auburn Tigers

For Auburn softball, a 27-19-1 (9-15 SEC) record was enough to earn the Tigers a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time in program history.

And while Auburn’s road to Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series is a a long and winding one, all that matters right now is that the opportunity exists.

The Tigers will open their NCAA Tournament appearance this afternoon in a matchup against the UCF Knights at the Tallahassee Regional, hosted by 15th-seeded Florida State at JoAnn Graf Field.

When Auburn and UCF open things up at 1 p.m. on Friday, it’ll represent the second time since 2021 that the Tigers and Knights met on the dirt of JoAnn Graf Field after the two programs met at the Tallahassee Regional three years ago. UCF won that matchup 5-4.

Follow along for live updates from Auburn’s NCAA opener.

Pregame

Auburn’s starting lineup

LF KK McCrary — .285

CF Makayla Packer — .278

RF Icess Tresvik — .301

DP Amelia Lech — .233

C Anna Wohlers — .302

1B Axe Milanowski — .250

3B Annabelle Widra — .247

2B Rose Roach — .188

SS Nelia Peralta — .234

P Maddie Penta — 1.77 ERA

T1 | UCF 2, Auburn 0

UCF’s Jada Cody leads off the inning with a 0-1 base hit and is worked around to third base on a pair of sacrifice ground outs from Shannon Doherty and Sona Halajian.

UCF’s Chloe Evans sends a pitch to the left field warning track, good for an RBI double, which puts UCF out front 1-0 with two outs.

Jasmine Williams sends a base hit up the gut for the Knights, which allows Evans to score from second. Williams advances to second on the throw. UCF leads Auburn 2-0 with two outs.

Auburn retires the side as Stormy Kotzelnick grounds out to first base.

B1 | UCF 2, Auburn 0

Auburn’s KK McCrary puts a runner on the basepath for the Tigers with a leadoff single.

Auburn’s Makayla Packer fouls out to first base for out No. 1.

Auburn’s Icess Tresvik flies out to center field for the second out.

UCF’s Kaitlyn Felton strikes out Auburn’s Amelia Lech to end the inning and strand McCrary at first.

T2 | UCF 2, Auburn 0

UCF’s Ashleigh Griffin flies out to shortstop for the first out of the inning.

Maddie Penta issues her first strikeout as UCF’s Samantha Rey goes down on five pitches.

UCF’s Aubrey Evans flies out to shortstop to send the Knights back out to the field.

B2 | UCF 2, Auburn 2

Auburn’s Anna Wohlers grounds out to second base for the first out.

Axe Milanowski knocks a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position for the Tigers.

Annabelle Widra flies out to left field for the second out, Milanowski stays put on second base.

Auburn’s Rose Roach hits a two-out RBI double to score Milanowski and put the Tigers on the board.

The Tigers continue to pass the bats as Auburn’s Nelia Peralta logs a two-out RBI single to tie the game at 2-2.

Back at the top of the order, Auburn’s KK McCrary notches a two-out base hit, which sparks a pitching change for UCF. The Knights turn to Katelyn Cochran (1.08 ERA, 26 IP) to get out of this second inning. She inherits a runner on first and second with two outs.

UCF’s Katelyn Cochran comes out of the pen and strikes out Makayla Packer to get the Knights out of the inning.

T3 | Auburn 2, UCF 2

Maddie Penta logs her second strikeout of the afternoon as she puts down Jada Cody with seven pitches.

UCF’s Shannon Doherty is robbed of a hit as Auburn’s Makayla Packer tracks down a deep ball near the centerfield warning track for out No. 2.

Sona Halajian reaches on a base hit down the left field line, followed by a hit up the gut from Chloe Evans.

Auburn’s Maddie Penta strikes out Jasmine Williams to put the Knights away and keep them from adding a run.

B3 | Auburn 6, UCF 2

UCF opens the bottom of the third inning with its second pitching change of the game as Sarah Willis (2.44 ERA, 120.1 IP) toes the rubber for the Knights.

Willis hurls a five-pitch walk to Auburn’s Icess Tresvik, giving the Tigers a leadoff runner.

Auburn’s Amelia Lech grounds out, but helps Tresvik move into scoring position with one out.

Anna Wohlers singles to right field to put runners on the corners for the Tigers with one out. Wohlers’ hit is the sixth of the game for Auburn.

UCF’s Willis hits Milanowski and then walks Widra to load the bases for the Tigers with one out.

Willis issues a bases-loaded walk to scratch across an Auburn run. Bases stay loaded with one out.

Willis issues a second bases-loaded walk, this one to Rose Roach, and the Tigers add another run while the bases stay loaded with one out.

The Tigers tack on another run as Nelia Peralta pokes at a pitch to put it in play and reaches on a fielder’s choice. The Knights try for the out at home, but an error from the catcher allows Milanowski to score.

Auburn’s KK McCrary flies out to left field, but Widra tags up and scores to give the Tigers their fourth run of the inning.

Makayla Packer grounds out to the pitcher to end the inning.

T4 | Auburn 6, UCF 2

UCF’s Stormy Kotzelnick is struck out by Auburn’s Maddie Penta to open the frame.

UCF’s Sierra Humphreys goes down swinging, good for Maddie Penta’s fifth strikeout of the afternoon.

Auburn’s Maddie Penta successfully strikes out the side as she puts down UCF’s Johneisha Rowe to retire the Knights.

B4 | Auburn 6, UCF 2

Auburn’s Icess Tresvik fouls out to open the frame for the Tigers.

UCF’s Sarah Willis appears to be settling in after a disastrous third inning as she strikes out Auburn’s Amelia Lech for out No. 2.

Anna Wohlers draws a walk, but Axe Milanowski follows with a ground out to send the Tigers back to the field.

T5 | Auburn 6, UCF 4

UCF’s Aubrey Evans leads off the inning with a foul out.

UCF’s Jada Cody hits a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position for the Knights.

Auburn’s Maddie Penta tags Shannon Doherty with a pitch to give up a free base with one out.

UCF’s Sona Halajian rips a RBI single through the right side to score Cody.

UCF’s Chloe Evans singles to left center to bring across another run for the Knights with one out.

Auburn makes a call to the bullpen and brings in Shelby Lowe (2.79 ERA, 77.2 IP) to relieve Penta, who went 4.1 innings, gave up eight hits, four runs and struck out six. Lowe inherits runners on first and second with one out.

Auburn turns a double play to end the frame. UCF challenges the play at second, so the play is under review.

After the challenge, it’s ruled the runner at second base is out, while the runner at first base is safe.

UCF’s Stormy Kotzelnick fouls out near the backstop to end the inning.

B5 | Auburn 6, UCF 4

Auburn’s Annabelle Widra leads off the fifth with a standup double, good for the third double of the game for the Tigers.

Widra advances to the doorstep on a wild pitch.

Rose Roach strikes out for the first out.

Auburn’s Nelia Peralta reaches on a fielder’s choice, plating runners on the corners for the Tigers with one out.

Skylar Elkins (pinch running for Peralta) steals second, putting two runners in scoring position for the Tigers with one out.

KK McCrary strikes out swinging for out No. 2.

Makayla Packer grounds out to end the inning.

T6 | UCF 10, Auburn 6

UCF’s Sierra Humphreys is struck out by Auburn’s Shelby Lowe for the first out of the inning.

Johneisha Rowe gets a hit to fall in left field, giving UCF a base runner with one out.

Aubrey Evans draws a five-pitch walk from Shelby Lowe.

UCF’s Jada Cody flies out to shortstop for out No. 2.

UCF’s Shannon Doherty hits a three-run homerun, giving the Knights their first lead since the second inning.

The Knights continue to pass the bat with a pair of hits from Sona Halajian and Chloe Evans.

UCF blows the game open with another two-out, three-run home run to give the Knights a 10-6 lead.

B6 | UCF 10, Auburn 6

Auburn’s Icess Tresvik is struck out on five pitches for the first out of the inning.

UCF’s Sarah Willis issues her second strikeout of the inning as Amelia Lech goes down swinging.

Anna Wohlers is given a free base after a six-pitch walk with two outs.

Axe Milanowski flies out to shallow right field to retire the side and strand Wohlers on first.

T7 | UCF 11, Auburn 6

Auburn goes to Annabelle Widra in the circle.

UCF’s Sierra Humphreys hits a leadoff, solo home run to add to the Knights’ lead.

Johneisha Rowe lays down a bunt for the Knights, plating a runner on first base with no outs.

Rowe ruled out after leaving first base early.

UCF’s Jada Cody flies out to end the inning.

B7 | UCF 11, Auburn 6

Auburn’s Annabelle Widra leads off the seventh inning with a single.

Rose Roach takes a free base after a five-pitch walk, Widra advances to second with no outs.

Auburn’s Nelia Peralta grounds into a 5-3 double play and now the Tigers are down to their final out with a runner on second.

KK McCrary grounds out to third base.

FINAL | UCF 11, Auburn 6

Following Friday’s loss, the Tigers will face elimination Saturday, when they’ll see the loser of this afternoon’s Chattanooga-Florida State matchup.

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Auburn gives up costly home runs in NCAA Tournament loss to UCF; now faces elimination

Updated: May. 17, 2024, 6:51 p.m.|Published: May. 17, 2024, 6:34 p.m.

4–5 minutes

TALLAHASSEE, FL - MAY 17 - Auburn Outfielder KK McCrary (16) during the NCAA Regionals game between the Auburn Tigers and the UCF Knights at Joanne Graf Field in Tallahassee, FL on Friday, May 17, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn TigersGrayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

The UCF Knights suffered a disastrous third inning, allowing the Auburn Tigers to take a commanding four-run lead midway through Friday afternoon’s NCAA Tournament opener at the Tallahassee Regional.

In the moment, it seemed a rocky start from UCF pitcher Sarah Willis may have been the deciding factor in Friday’s Knights-Tigers matchup at JoAnn Graf Field.

Instead, a late-game Auburn collapse ended up being the main storyline as the Knights came from behind and scored nine unanswered runs in the final three frames to beat the Tigers 11-6.

Auburn gave the starting nod to its ace in Maddie Penta, who put together an uncharacteristic start against UCF, allowing the Knights to plate two runs off three hits in the first inning.

But Penta quickly settled in, forcing the Knights down in a three up, three down inning in the second frame, setting the table for Auburn’s offense to answer the call and plate a pair of runs of its own to knot the game up at 2-2. It was a double from Axe Milanowski, an RBI double from Rose Roach and an RBI base hit from Nelia Peralta that helped the Tigers tie that ball game in the second inning.

Come Auburn’s next trip up to the plate, the Tigers were able to capitalize on a slew of self-inflicted wounds committed by the Knights.

After Auburn’s Icess Tresvick led off with a walk and Amelia Lech followed with a ground out, Anna Wohlers issued a single to right field for the lone hit of the bottom of the third inning.

Meanwhile, UCF worked itself into a jam with a hit by pitch to load the bases, followed by a pair of bases-loaded walks to bring across a pair of runs for the Tigers. An error by UCF’s catcher and a sacrifice flyout assisted Auburn in tacking on two more runs to its lead and taking a 6-2 advantage into the fourth inning.

The Tigers remained comfortably out front until the Knights started stringing together hits against Penta, who gave up two runs in the top of the fifth before being relieved by fellow senior pitcher Shelby Lowe. Penta’s day finished after 4.1 IP, eight hits, four earned runs and six strikeouts on 94 total pitches.

With Lowe still in the circle, the Knights blistered the Tigers in the top of the sixth inning as UCF’s Shannon Doherty and Jasmine Williams each launched a three-run home run while facing the same two outs.

And just like that, the game had flipped from a four-run advantage for the Tigers, to a four-run deficit.

“We gave up eight two-strike hits. That’s a lot. Putting it in play is one thing, but giving up those doubles, home runs with two strikes is hard,” Dean said. “We know our pitchers are better than that.”

When all was said and done, UCF jabbed at Auburn one last time as Sierra Humphreys notched a solo homerun to give the Knights their 11th run of the game. The Knights finished the afternoon having out-hit the Tigers 15-8.

“Both teams battled,” Dean said. “We didn’t do what we wanted to do throughout the whole entire seven innings. We had opportunities to add some runs.”

Auburn left 10 batters on the base path and was just 4-for-20 with runners on.

Following Friday afternoon’s loss, the Tigers will now prepare to see the loser of Friday evening’s matchup between Chattanooga and 15th-seeded Florida State. That game is set for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch and the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.

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