Auburn University’s softball team split its Saturday doubleheader during the Jane B. Moore Memorial, falling to No. 11 Virginia Tech but securing a decisive win against USC Upstate at Jane B. Moore Field.
In their first game of the day, Auburn struggled offensively against Virginia Tech, remaining scoreless until the fifth inning. The Hokies took an early lead with two runs in the first and extended it with a two-run home run by Rachel Castine in the fourth. Three more hits in the fifth helped Virginia Tech push ahead 6-0.
Auburn’s offense found some momentum in the fifth inning when Kylie Shaw walked and McKaela Walker singled, putting runners in scoring position. Destiny Rodriguez drove both home with a single through the right side. However, Auburn was unable to generate further offense and lost 6-2.
Pitcher SJ Geurin started for Auburn and limited Virginia Tech to five hits over 3.2 innings, recording one strikeout. Malayna Tamborra and Abby Herndon appeared in relief, with Herndon retiring all eight batters she faced.
Co-head coach Chris Malveaux commented on the team’s response after their loss: “It was important to bounce back,” Malveaux said. “I’m really proud of the team. We were a little bit juiced from the first game, so being able to bounce back and let the game come to us was pivotal in what we wanted to do. Kudos to our team for being disciplined and taking advantage when they could.”
In their second matchup of the day, Auburn responded strongly against USC Upstate by scoring in every inning and winning 13-5 under run-rule conditions after five innings.
USC Upstate scored first on a sacrifice fly, but Auburn quickly answered with four runs in their half of the opening frame, highlighted by Kyla Stroud’s bases-clearing double.
The Tigers continued building their lead through consistent hitting across subsequent innings—including contributions from Alyssa Hastings, Ma’Nia Womack (who hit a solo home run), Georgia Lessman, Diagle Wilson (with a two-run double), and Shaw (who went 3-for-4).
Abby Herndon started for Auburn against USC Upstate, pitching two innings with three strikeouts while allowing one run on four hits. Blayne Godfrey earned her second win of the season after pitching 2.2 innings in relief.
Auburn will finish play at the Jane B. Moore Memorial on Sunday morning against USC Upstate at 11:30 a.m., with postgame activities including “Softballs from the Sky,” where children ages four to fifteen can participate on-field as foam softballs are dropped from a helicopter—a world record attempt by Auburn’s program. The contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+, WEGL 91.1 FM locally, or streamed via the official Auburn Tigers website or mobile app.
