Disastrous sixth inning costs Auburn softball in loss to UCF at Tallahassee Regional
Things were going well for Auburn softball in the NCAA Tournament.
After falling behind early to UCF in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional on Friday, the Tigers responded by scoring six unanswered runs over the second and third innings to take what appeared to be a commanding four-run lead with four frames to play.
But the Knights kept chipping away and finally broke through with two outs in the top of the sixth inning as junior first baseman Shannon Doherty blasted a three-run home run to take a lead they'd never surrender. UCF (31-23) kept Auburn at bay over the final two frames and handed the Tigers (27-20-1) an 11-6 loss.
Auburn's back is now against the wall for the rest of the regional, as one more defeat will end its season.
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Uncharacteristic start for Auburn softball star Maddie Penta
Of the 27 games she started across the regular season and SEC Tournament, star pitcher Maddie Penta had allowed more than one run in the first inning just twice in 2024 − she gave up two in the opening frame at Missouri on March 8 and allowed four against Arkansas on March 16.
Penta was tagged for two runs in the first inning Friday before she settled in and kept UCF scoreless for the next three frames. She was eventually knocked out of the game in the fifth inning, as the Knights added two more runs and the Tigers turned to Shelby Lowe out of the bullpen.
A disaster in the sixth inning
Lowe did her job by stopping the bleeding in the fifth inning and recording two outs in the sixth. Doherty put UCF in front with her two-out blast, though, and things soured further as the Knights followed that up with two singles before Jasmine Williams hit her own home run, this one to center field, to break the game open. The Knights added some insurance with a solo shot off of Annabelle Widra in the seventh inning.
UCF reliever Sarah Willis allowed just two hits over the final four frames. That was the case after she was shaky in the third inning, struggling to throw strikes and walking in two runs. She finished with 116 total pitches.
What's next
Florida State and Chattanooga are set to play Friday. The loser of that game will see the Tigers in an elimination game Saturday.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Tallahassee Regional: Auburn softball can't score win over UCF
