The No. 22 Auburn women's softball team will go on the road to face the No. 11 Tennessee Lady Vols in an SEC showdown in Knoxville Friday at 7 p.m.
The Tigers (28-5, 8-3 SEC) are coming off an 8-0 victory Saturday against Ole Miss that ended in the fifth inning because of the mercy rule.
Tennessee (26-5, 4-3 SEC) is coming off of a 5-4 seventh inning come-from-behind victory over South Carolina.
Tennessee has done well protecting its home field this year with an 11-2 record, while Auburn has struggled with a 4-4 record on the road.
The Lady Vols have had many high-scoring games this season, outscoring their opponents by a combined total of 250-69.
The Tigers have outscored their opponents 177-65 and have won 13 games this season with a margin of 10 or more runs.
"We're going to have to play good defense," said head coach Tina Deese. "Tennessee brings a really stout offense."
Last year's games against Tennessee were close defensive battles: a 2-1 victory, 2-1 loss and 5-3 loss as Tennessee won the series.
"It's always a tight game," Deese said.
Morgan Estell, first baseman, noted the importance of being prepared for a tight game when facing the Lady Vols.
"They're coming ready," Estell said. "We have to be ready, too."
Lauren Guzman, shortstop, agreed with Estell's statement.
"We have to do what we did this game," Guzman said, referring to the 8-0 victory over Ole Miss Saturday.
Both offense and defense were dominant in that game as no Ole Miss player ever reached second base, and the Rebels had just one hit.
The Tigers, however, had 10 hits.
"Any time you put up double-digit hits, it's a good day," Deese said.
The Lady Vols are 0-3 this season against teams with more hits and 1-1 versus teams with the same number of hits.
The Lady Vols currently hold fourth place in the SEC East, with a 4-3 record, behind Florida, Georgia and Kentucky,
When compared to other SEC teams, the Tigers have only played a few conference games.
The Tigers hold second place in the SEC West behind Alabama.
With the season beginning its final stretch, a few conference wins by these teams can shift them into first place in their respective divisions.
"We have the meat of our season coming up," Deese said.
The Tennessee game marks an important point in the Tigers' season, as most of the remaining series on the schedule are against nationally ranked conference rivals such as No. 2 Florida, No. 24 LSU, No. 4 Georgia and No. 23 Kentucky.
Auburn players agreed they can finish the season on a high note following the victory over Ole Miss.
"Our confidence is really good," Estell said. "Just go one game at a time."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
