After winning 17 out of its first 22 games to open the season, it is safe to say the Auburn softball team's SEC opener did not go as planned Friday night.
Auburn (17-4-1) dropped the first of a conference-opening three-game series with LSU (16-6) by a score of 4-1 at Jane B. Moore Field.
The host Tigers' McKenzie Kilpatrick hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning that stood up for most of the game, but Auburn pitcher Lexi Davis lost control of her shutout in the sixth inning.
LSU strung together a few hits to put three runs on the board in the top of the sixth and grabbed one more insurance run in the top of the seventh and final inning.
"[Davis] missed location in the sixth and they took advantage," said Auburn head coach Clint Myers. "But she pitched well. The key things are not so much what she did, but what we didn't do."
The Auburn offense, which left seven runners on base in the loss, was unable to generate any runs for a comeback of its own.
LSU's Baylee Corbello was effectively wild in her victory, striking out seven batters while walking six more. Auburn only managed two hits on Corbello, who moved to 8-2 on the season.
Auburn will look for revenge on rival LSU Saturday at 1 p.m.
"I told them what we learned from this game will be evident in the next performance, so if you were a little nervous, if you were a little scared, then the first one is out of the way," Myers said.
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