The Auburn softball team fell three runs short of completing a series sweep Sunday, falling 5-2 to Southeastern Conference opponent Mississippi State.
After taking down the Bulldogs on Friday and Saturday, a lack of offensive production put an end to the Tigers' aspiration of three straight conference wins.
"We've got to play better," said Auburn head coach Clint Myers. "We got beat by a team that we beat two days in a row."
Myers has stressed that the key to success for his team is having good pitching, good defense, and timely hitting.
"Those just didn't take place in the same category they did in the first two games," Myers said.
On the day, the tigers managed only three hits, one of which was a solo homerun by Branndi Melero in the bottom of the second inning.
The Tigers' other run would come from of Kasey Cooper, who singled in the bottom of the third to score Emily Carosone.
Mississippi State took the lead for good in the top of fifth inning, off a three-run homer from catcher Sam Lenahan.
The Bulldogs would add one more run in top of the 6th inning, after starting Auburn pitcher Lexi Davis walked Lenahan with the bases loaded.
Davis took the loss for the Tigers, giving her a 14-5 mark on the season.
"Lexi pitched pretty well," Myers said. "But hey, when you're in the SEC, it's got to be better than pretty well."
The loss drops the Tigers to 28-5-1 overall on the season, with a 4-2 mark in SEC play.
Auburn will take on Georgia State on Thursday before heading to Kentucky to face the Wildcats in a weekend series.
The next home series for the Tigers will be April 1-3 against Missouri.
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