Auburn sophomore catcher Aubrie Lisenby whacked the ball past the third-base line and into the spectators at the left-field terrace in the top of the third inning. She didn’t hit anyone, but she did hit a sign.
The “National Champions “ sign on the top of the terrace had a hole on the letter “L.” The “L” later became the outcome for the Gators.
The No. 15 Florida Gators lost to the No. 19 Auburn Tigers 7-0 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Saturday. The Gators only recorded four hits throughout the game and were held scoreless for the fifth time this season due to the pitching of Tigers junior pitcher Maddie Penta.
The Maryland native finished the game with 10 strikeouts and only allowed four hits off 27 at-bats.
“It felt like she had two strikes on us the whole day,” Florida head coach Tim Walton said.
Gators graduate student pitcher Samantha Bender started in the circle for the first frame of the evening. Graduate student pitcher Elizabeth Hightower took a break after she started the past two games.
Bender walked Tigers sophomore infielder Neila Peralta to start. Walton and Florida’s infielders immediately went to the circle for a quick chat to check on the right-handed pitcher.
The talk didn’t help. Bender threw a wild pitch as Peralta stole second and allowed Lisenby to single down the middle. Peralta advanced to third base for the Tigers’ first opportunity to score.
With one out in the inning, Tigers junior infielder Denver Bryant singled to give Peralta time to run home. Sophomore infielder Bri Ellis hit a three-run home run past left-center field to give Auburn an early 4-0 lead.
Bender’s day came to an end. Gators sophomore pitcher Lexie Delbrey replaced Bender in the circle. Delbrey forced two straight outs to end the top of the inning.
Penta started in the circle for the visiting team. The right-handed pitcher and Auburn’s outfielders held Florida hitless with three consecutive outs to end the first inning.
Delbrey walked Tigers graduate student catcher Aspyn Godwin. She then threw a lofty pitch to senior utility player Carlee McCondichie. The ball popped into the infield and was caught and thrown to first for a double play.
UF graduate student utility player Pal Egan caught Peralta’s pop fly in right field to end the top of the second.
Penta walked Gators sophomore infielder Reagan Walsh to open the bottom of the inning. The 5-foot-9-inch infielder stole second base, but Florida didn’t score any runs in the inning. UF junior outfielder Katie Kistler struck out swinging to end the second inning.
Delbrey walked Lisenby to start the third — the second consecutive time the Gators walked an Auburn player to start an inning. Florida’s pitchers finished the game with five walks.
The Georgia native stood strong in the circle and finished the top of the third inning without allowing a hit.
The Gators went through their batting order in the bottom of the third. However, Penta continued her exceptional day. UF redshirt junior infielder Skylar Wallace grounded out to first base to end Florida’s hitless inning.
Delbrey struck out Auburn sophomore catcher Jessie Blaine and sophomore infielder Rose Roach back to back to finish the top of the fourth inning.
At the midway point in the game, the Gators still didn’t find any runs to get back into the game. UF sophomore outfielder Kendra Falby’s single was the only positive for Florida in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Gators recorded only one hit as they entered the fifth inning down 4-0 against the Tigers.
Delbrey — who finished with eight strikeouts through 6.2 innings — kept Auburn from scoring any runs in the top of the fifth. She struck out Tigers senior infielder Lindsey Garcia swinging to end the top of the inning. Garcia became the eighth-straight Tiger to retire against Delbrey.
Despite the result of the game, Delbrey performed well against Auburn early in the game, Walton said.
“She didn’t give up a hit through 6 2/3 [innings],” Walton said. “I thought Delbrey did a really good job today.”
Florida sophomore catcher Sam Roe breathed life into UF with a triple that sailed to the right-field wall to start the bottom of the fifth inning. Penta struck out three straight batters to strand the Gators and end the inning.
The pace of the game gradually slowed down with no runs scored since the first inning, but Florida’s defense continued to end the Tigers’ chances at-bat quickly. Delbrey and UF’s defense ended the top of the sixth inning in less than ten minutes.
With two chances left on offense, Wallace began the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle of the diamond. The hit resulted in short-lived hope.
Bryant jumped sky-high to catch a grounded ball by Falby that bounced to third base. She threw Wallace out at second and allowed Falby to single. The Tigers forced two straight outs after Falby’s single to end the inning.
Delbrey hit Blaine and Lisenby with pitches as the rain began to drizzle onto the field in the top of the seventh inning. They were the first Tigers hit by Delbrey.
Auburn sophomore outfielder Abbey Smith rubbed dirt into the Gators’ wound when she took advantage of a Florida error to register a double.
The hit brought Blaine in for a run. Bryant followed the double with a single shortly after, which allowed Lisenby and Smith to score. The Tigers left the top of the inning with a 7-0 lead.
Egan grounded to right field for a single in the bottom of the seventh — UF’s last chance for a comeback. A wild pitch gave her time to steal second base, and Roe walked to first right after.
Despite the last-minute effort, Auburn didn’t allow any more hits and finished the game with three consecutive outs.
Florida will stay in Gainesville to face the North Florida Ospreys at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
