Auburn falls short against No. 2 Texas in series opener

No. 23 Auburn (21-9, 0-7 SEC) had a tough start to its series against No. 2 Texas (29-2, 3-1 SEC), falling 12-2 in five innings on Friday at Red & Charline McCombs Field.

Texas wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, launching back-to-back home runs in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. A sacrifice fly in the second inning extended the Longhorns’ advantage. While Auburn’s defense held firm in the third, Texas exploded in the fifth, scoring eight runs on six hits to seal the game early.

Auburn had its chances but couldn’t capitalize. The Tigers recorded five hits, with AnnaLea Adams starting things off with a double in the first inning. She advanced to third on a passed ball but was left stranded. Abbey Smith, returning to her home state, delivered a 2-for-2 performance. She singled in the third and later drove in Auburn’s first run in the fifth with an infield hit. Kylie Brockman and Thalia Martin also contributed hits in the fifth, and Martin scored Auburn’s second run after advancing on a wild pitch.

Auburn’s pitching staff saw action from four pitchers, but Haley Rainey took the loss, dropping her record to 3-2 for the season. Chalea Clemmons provided a brief spark, quieting Texas’ bats in the third inning, but the Longhorns’ offense proved too much in the later frames.

“I liked the way we came out,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “We didn’t have a lot to show for it, but we did have a lot of hard-hit balls off Teagan Kavan early on. It felt like we were attacking the right things. On the other side of the ball, Texas took advantage of everything we gave them and broke the game open. I didn’t like our emotional responses toward the end. It kept compounding mistakes, and we have to get better at that. At the end of the day, it’s one game. We still have two more in the series.”

Auburn will look to bounce back and even the series on Saturday, with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.