Penta, Auburn gets revenge on Northern Iowa to close Plainsman Invite
Saturday, the Northern Iowa Panthers took advantage of several Auburn miscues in the 4th inning to upset the Tigers on day two of the Plainsman Invite at Jane B. Moore Field. maddie penta struck out 10 batters in a complete game effort, but three 4th inning errors pushed the Panthers to a 4-2 win.
Sunday, Penta and the Tigers got revenge.
Penta struck out 11 more Northern Iowa batters and recorded her fifth collegiate no-hitter as the Tigers defeated the Panthers, 1-0 to close out the Plainsman Invite. She allowed two base runners, one via walk and the other on a throwing error in the 2nd base.
“Through the beginning of this season, I’ve had to work my way into my in-game mechanics,” Penta said after the game. “Yesterday’s performance wasn’t my best. I went to the bullpen and messed around with some things. I came out here and used my legs a lot better. It made my rise better and my change-up more deceptive. Perfecting my mechanics helps me throw all my pitches better.”
Northern Iowa’s pitching nearly matched Penta’s performance as Samantha Heyer and Maddy McDermott combined to strike out 10 batters while allowing just two hits. The lone score in the game came off the bat of Nelia Peralta, who laid down a sacrifice bunt in the 2nd inning to score the speedy makayla packerfrom 3rd base. Packer and Icess Tresvik recorded the only hits on the day for Auburn.
The Tigers close out the Plainsman Invite with a 3-1 record, and have improved to 7-2-1 overall. Auburn travels to Birmingham for a date with UAB on Wednesday before returning to Jane B. Moore Field next weekend to host the Jane B. Moore Memorial.
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