Recap: Auburn softball claims final game of Kentucky series

Auburn softball dropped its weekend series with No. 23 Kentucky by losing two close games. However, the Tigers salvaged a game in the set by taking down the Wildcats in the stand-alone SEC game on Monday night.

Auburn answered Kentucky’s early solo home run by rattling off four unanswered runs to claim the final game of the three-game series, 4-1, on Monday night at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

Kentucky’s Erin Coffel put her team on the board first with a solo blast in the 1st inning to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead. Auburn responded in the bottom of the 2nd with a solo home run of their own. Makayla Packer crushed a home run over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1.

Luck found the Tigers over the final two innings. Auburn grabbed the lead in the 5th inning when Annabelle Widra grounded out to the pitcher. The Wildcats elected to get the out at first, which allowed Packer to score. Two more runs scored in the 6th inning. One run came from a bases-loaded walk to Amelia Lech, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Packer allowed KK McCrary to score from 3rd base to extend Auburn’s lead to 4-1.

Shelby Lowe capped her stellar day in the circle by retiring three of the final four batters of the game in the 7th inning. In a complete-game effort, Lowe allowed one run on five hits while walking two and striking out four.

Although Auburn dropped the series, they found a way to take the final game of the set over a top-25 squad in Kentucky. Auburn head coach Mickey Dean says that his team’s resilience will pay off in postseason play.

“They have to recognize their greatness,” Dean said postgame. “Sometimes in a space of time, you aren’t where you want to be when it comes to wins and losses. We’re not where we want to be, but you have to look at home many ‘championship’ games, those final games of the series, that we have won. That’s a big deal. It’s going to mean a great deal at the end of the season and postseason. It shows us that we’re good on championship day.”

Auburn begins its penultimate SEC series Friday on the road at Ole Miss. Game one of the series will begin at 5 p.m. CT and can be viewed on SEC Network.

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