Auburn softball (25-16-1, 7-13 SEC) took its first loss in the series in Oxford, MS to Ole Miss (27-23, 4-16 SEC) 4-2 Saturday night.
“We attacked early in the game, but our offense stalled,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “We weren’t able to make any adjustments. We were stubborn at the plate. We knew we were going to see two or three pitchers every game, so that was going to be key going into this series.”
The Tigers loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but the rally fell short as Ole Miss was able to hold on to the lead to even the series.
The Auburn defense struggled today with three errors that allowed the home team to score a pair of runs in back to back innings. Only one run was earned by the Rebels.
Just four Rebels recorded just one hit on Saturday and left six runners on base.
Auburn started off the evening with a 1-0 lead off junior Anna Wohlers’s sacrifice fly. However, after the Rebels four runs, the Tigers were unable to bring in a run until the seventh.
With loaded bases and one out, a sacrifice fly by junior Rose Roach brought in another Auburn run to cut the lead to 4-2, but Auburn was not able to bring in another run giving the win to the home team.
With junior Amelia Lech leading the team, the Rebels were out-hit by the Tigers. Lech led with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate and also drew a walk to reach first in all three plate appearances.
Brianna Lopez tossed five innings in relief and allowing just one run on three hits while striking out a season-high eight batters.
Junior Annabelle Widra recorded four innings in the circle in which she gave up just three hits and one earned run with three strikeouts. Right behind her, sophomore Emmah Rolfe threw two scoreless innings to keep the Tigers within reach. She gave up one hit and three walks with two strikeouts.
The rubber match between the Tigers and Rebels is set for Sunday, April 28 at noon with television coverage available on SEC Network. The matchup can also be heard on the Auburn Sports Network.
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Alexa Gardner is a junior at Auburn, majoring in exercise science. From Birmingham, Alabama, she started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @alexagardner_
