Auburn softball cruised to a 6-1 victory in game one against UAB, but the Blazers responded with a 4-3 win to split the doubleheader.
"Kudos to them, they came in, felt like their pitchers did a good job of doing what they wanted to do," said head coach Chris Malveaux. "They were able to continuously hit spots, and if they missed it was a ball, and they weren't going to leave a lot out over the plate to hit."
Haley Rainey was the star of game one for Auburn. She went six innings while allowing just four hits and no earned runs.
In game two Anna Wohlers and Aubrie Lisenby’s efforts at the plate could not overcome Auburn’s defensive blunders.
Game one:
After two scoreless frames from Rainey, the Auburn offense was able to break through. Following a single from right fielder Icess Tresvik and self-inflicted wounds from the Blazers, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead via an RBI from Amelia Lech.
Auburn continued their momentum in the bottom of the third tacking on four more runs, extending their lead to 5-0. Another single from Tresvik and a double from Anna Wohlers did the damage. Tresvik reached base three times in game one.
In the fourth, a fielding error by Auburn’s Nelia Peralta gave UAB a two-out base runner. Second baseman Britt Bourgoyne made the Tigers pay, drilling a triple down the left-field line to put UAB on the board and cut their deficit to 5-1.
In the fifth, Auburn took their five-run lead right back via an AnnaLea Adams solo blast to left-center field. The freshman now has eight home runs on the year.
Rainey was dominant all day, retiring the last seven she faced in order en route to the win. Malayna Tamborra recorded the final three outs for Auburn in their 23rd non-conference win of the season.
Game two:
Despite out-hitting UAB 6-5 in game two, Auburn’s four errors defensively came back to haunt them.
”You don’t want to point fingers, but we struggled defensively where last weekend it was our defense that gave us a chance to sweep a series. UAB was able to capitalize on every single error. It’s a focus thing. We’ve got to stay locked in and take care of the ball,” Chris Malveaux said.
The Blazers jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage in the top of the first following two hits and one error.
Auburn responded in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own. With Wohlers on board with a single, Ma'Nia Womack smashed a double to left center to cut UAB’s lead to 3-1. Womack would later steal home to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
That score would hold until the top of the fourth, when two Auburn errors would help score Bourgoyne, extending the UAB lead to 4-2.
Lisenby would answer with an RBI double to bring the Tigers back within one, but their offense went quiet for the remainder of the game. Caitlin Russell recorded the final 11 outs for the Blazers and picked up the win.
Up Next:
Auburn, who is fighting to receive an NCAA Tournament bid, will open up a crucial three-game series against Georgia this weekend. Game one is set for Friday at 5 p.m. CST. The game will be televised nationally on SEC Network.
“This is a huge series, we can’t sit and dwell on what just happened, we’ve got to turn around and get ready for Georgia, Chris Malveaux said.
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Rory is a freshman majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
