Blacksburg and Auburn are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. Blacksburg will welcome Auburn at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Blacksburg not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 12, 2024. Everything went their way against Radford as Blacksburg made off with a 16-3 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bruins.
Clara McMahon
| 03/25/25 vs Radford | 4 |
| 03/21/25 @ William Byrd | 3 |
| 04/26/24 vs Salem | 2 |
| 04/23/24 @ Pulaski County | 2 |
| 04/17/24 @ Auburn | 2 |
Clara McMahon made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aubrey Hudgins, who scored four runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-4. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March of 2024. Katie Jones was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Blacksburg always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Radford only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Auburn had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Mustangs a 12-0 shutout. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by eight runs or more this season.
Ariel Mullins was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Those doubles were her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Samantha Anderson, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Auburn's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Blacksburg, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Blacksburg hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .379. However, it's not like Auburn struggles in that department as they've averaged .327. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Blacksburg came out on top in a nail-biter against Auburn in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. Will Blacksburg repeat their success, or does Auburn has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
