Softball Earns Opening Day Win Over Merrimack

Friday, February 24

Auburn, Ala.

1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT

Brown University

1-0

Merrimack

0-2

Merrimack

Brown

Softball Earns Opening Day Win Over Merrimack

2/24/2023 8:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

AUBURN, Ala. – Brown softball picked up a win in its first game as Dara English came up with two big hits for the Bears in a win over Merrimack.

Brown (1-1) started the day with a 7-5 comeback victory over Merrimack before falling to No. 20 in a five-inning, 9-0, loss to the Auburn Tigers.

Game 1: Brown 7, Merrimack 5
The Bears overcame a 5-0 deficit to earn a 7-5 win over Merrimack to start the 2023 season. Dara English came off the bench to deliver three RBI and had two hits. Meghan Gormley finished the day with three hits, including two doubles.

Jodie Aguirre (1-0) picked up the win, throwing four scoreless innings in relief and striking out five batters while allowing just two hits.

Merrimack got the scoring going in the top of the third, taking advantage of two errors by the Bears to score five runs and chase starter Erin Elgas from the game. Brown responded in the bottom of the inning, beginning with a single and stolen base by Niki Kim. Gormley doubled to left in the next at bat to score Kim. Brianna Rodriguez singled in the next at bat and a fielding error in center allowed Gormley to score.

With one out in the fourth, Kim reached again on a throwing error and moved to second on a single by Gormley. Rodriguez walked to load the bases and after a pitching change, Laurel Moody walked to bring home Brown's third run. Julia Gubner hit a sacrifice fly to right to Bring Brown within one. English, who entered in the inning, singled to left field to score both Moody and Rodriguez to put Brown up 6-5.

Brown picked up its seventh run in the sixth. A one-out double by Moody started the offense and she moved to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, English delivered again with a single to left.

Aguirre did a good job getting out of any trouble in the late innings as Merrimack got a runner on in the fifth and seventh innings and two runners in the sixth, but the Bears stranded the runners every time.

Game 2: No. 20 Auburn 9, Brown 0 F/5
Brown's first meeting against an SEC team was a tough one for the Bears as Brown was no-hit by Auburn in a 9-0 five inning game.

Brown managed just one walk off of Auburn's starter Annabelle Widra with Dara English earning the free pass to lead off the third inning.

Auburn scored two runs in the first and the third off starter Alexis Guevara (0-1) and in the bottom of the fourth, Auburn chased Guevara with three runs before Annie Finch entered the game in relief.

UP NEXT
Brown will return to play with two games on Saturday at the Plainsman Invitational. The Bears will start the day taking on North Dakota State at 11 a.m. and will play Merrimack at 1:30 p.m.

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