Auburn softball dropped its fifth straight SEC series this weekend against No. 5 Florida in Gainesville.
Auburn’s offense once again struggled, scoring more than one run in only one of its three games. However, the Tigers do have some strong performances to hang their hat on, looking back on the series. For instance, Saturday’s matchup would see Auburn’s pitching dominate, as the Tigers would shut out the Gators 4-0. Not only was this victory the team’s first road-ranked win of the year, but it was also just the Gators’ third time losing at home in 27 matchups this season. Even though the series did not go as the Tigers would have hoped, road wins against ranked opponents are nothing to scoff at.
Friday’s game one would see the Tigers get an early lead, going up 1-0 on an RBI triple from third baseman Haven Roebuck in the top of the first. Auburn starter SG Guerin would keep the Tigers on top heading into the bottom of the third. But after allowing a walk and a hit to begin the inning, Auburn would go to the bullpen. Florida would catch fire off the Tigers’ relievers, recording three straight hits and scoring four runs total in the inning. The Gators' offense would maintain its momentum over the next two innings, scoring two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to force a 9-1 run-rule victory.
Game two of Saturday would go much more in the Tigers’ favor. Auburn star pitcher Ella Harrison would throw a complete-game shutout, striking out seven batters and securing her 11th win of the season. Auburn center fielder Ma’Nia Womack would get the Tigers’ offense going in the top of the second, crushing a two-run homer over left field. The Tigers would add on to their lead in the sixth, thanks to a two-run single from the catcher Ava Ratliff. Four runs would be more than enough for the Tigers to secure their first SEC win in over a month, breaking a 13-game conference losing streak.
Auburn’s offense would not be able to keep the energy going in Sunday’s game three matchup, however, scoring its lone run of the game on a solo shot from Ratliff in the bottom of the seventh. The Tigers would be unable to catch up to a Florida offense that put up three multi-run innings in the game, ultimately losing 7-1 and dropping the series. The Tigers would only put up four hits against Florida starter Keagan Rothrock, two coming from first baseman AnnaLea Adams.
Auburn will now have a back-to-back series against unranked opponents in Ole Miss and LSU before heading into the SEC Tournament. The Tigers will be hoping to see their pitching settle back into its midseason dominance and their offense catch fire before heading to Lexington, Kentucky, in early May. Before these two matchups, however, Auburn will be capping off its non-conference schedule as it takes on Troy in a midweek matchup this Wednesday.
Make sure to catch the Tigers this Wednesday as they make the short trip over to Troy to take on the unranked Trojans.
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
