After jumping out to an early lead, Troy softball secured a 2-0 victory over Auburn in front of a record-setting crowd at the Troy Softball Complex. Coming in as a reliever, Ella Cunningham (10-4) powered the Trojans (30-17, 8-10 SBC) past Auburn (24-22, 3-15 SEC) with six scoreless innings and five strikeouts.
The announced attendance of 1,623 ranked as the seventh-largest in program history and marked the biggest crowd ever for a Troy win. This victory, Troy’s first over Auburn since 2012, also improved the team to 9-0 in midweek games this season marking the first unbeaten midweek slate in school history.
Two early runs in the opening two innings proved sufficient, as the team secured its fourth straight 30-win season under head coach Eric Newell. In the first inning, Makaley Boswell singled and later scored on a wild pitch. In the second, Dailynn Motes added a sacrifice fly in addition to her single.
Cunningham and starter Esmee Ames delivered in clutch moments, leaving 12 Auburn runners stranded. The pair limited the Tigers to just three hits, recording Troy’s 10th shutout of the season and the first shutout of a Power Four opponent since 2022.
Ames worked around three walks in the first inning, ending the frame with a strikeout. In the bottom half, Boswell extended her hitting streak to 13 games with an infield single, and Troy added another run thanks to an Auburn error. The Trojans got on the board first when a wild pitch brought Boswell home for a 1-0 lead.
Cunningham took over in the second inning, striking out one and stranding two more Auburn baserunners. A single from McKinnon Howard, another Auburn miscue, and Motes’ sacrifice fly doubled Troy’s lead to 2-0.
A Troy error prolonged the top of the third, but Cunningham recorded her second strikeout in two innings to end the threat. Although Kiley Huffman dropped a double into left field, the Trojans couldn’t add to their lead.
In the fourth, Cunningham fanned two more batters, keeping Auburn scoreless and hitless. Auburn’s third error of the game, paired with a Motes single, put runners on the corners with two outs, but the Tigers escaped without further damage.
The Tigers notched their first hit of the night in the fifth on a double. Auburn then hit into a double play as Troy turned an 8-6-4 double play to record two outs. The Tigers later loaded the bases, but Cunningham ended the inning with a crucial strikeout.
Auburn moved a runner to third with two outs in the sixth after a leadoff single, but Cunningham induced a groundout to end the inning. Returning for the seventh, she retired the Tigers in order to seal the win.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
“Today was a great day! I’m just so happy for the girls. We’re starting to play some good softball, and to beat a Power Four SEC school like Auburn feels really good—that’s a big-time win for us. Ella Cunningham threw absolutely lights out, and we did what we needed to offensively. Little things like the sacrifice fly from Dailynn Motes and Kalee Rochinski’s sac bunt right before that helped us win. We manufactured a couple of runs, and they held up. We’ve faced a lot of adversity this year in many ways, and seeing everything pay off for them tonight was fun for me.”
Notables
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The announced attendance of 1,623 is the seventh-highest in program history and the largest crowd for a Troy win.
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Troy earned its first win over Auburn since March 21, 2012.
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Troy now trails the all-time series 8-27-1 but recorded its first-ever shutout of the Tigers.
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Auburn entered ranked No. 28 in the NCAA RPI, making this Troy’s biggest RPI upset of the season.
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This was Troy’s first shutout of a Power Four team since a 4-0 win over Ohio State on Feb. 26, 2022.
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Troy finished 9-0 in midweek games this season, the most midweek wins since 2015.
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The Trojans went unbeaten in midweek contests for the first time in program history.
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Troy reached 30 wins for the fourth consecutive season under Eric Newell and the 28th time overall.
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Makaley Boswell extended her hitting streak to 13 games.
