The Tigers suffered their ninth straight loss and fourth straight conference sweep this weekend against their in-state rivals, bringing just one run across the plate in three games against the Crimson Tide.
“We have no choice right now but to continue to try to figure this out and push through,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “If we knew why we were stuck in this, we would have fixed the problem already. We had some bright spots like [Alyssa] Hastings, but the internal battles right now are taking the sharpness away. We’ve got to get to the point where we can allow ourselves to be successful again."
Sophomore Ella Harrison, Auburn’s leader in innings pitched (115.0), earned run average (3.71) and strikeouts (114), took the mound for her usual Friday start in the first game of the series. Despite allowing just one run in what was her 10th complete game of the season, she took the loss after the Tigers failed to score.
“Ella did an incredible job of getting after it tonight,” Malveaux said postgame. “She threw well enough to win. We played good defense behind her and made some tough plays. I feel great about how we performed on that side.”
The Tigers scattered across six hits offensively, but none were timely enough to bring a runner home. Opportunities weren’t scarce — Auburn loaded the bases in the second inning and put runners in scoring position in the third and fourth, but Alabama pitcher Jocelyn Briski escaped unharmed en route to her 15th win of the season. The Crimson Tide escaped 1-0 in the series opener.
“Offensively, we did just enough to give ourselves some chances, but we didn’t execute at the final point when we had runners on base,” Malveaux said. “At the end of the day, it’s the difference in execution in those situations.”
Facing freshman standout Vic Moten, who went the distance for the Crimson Tide, Saturday’s game was much of the same for Auburn at the plate. With just one hit and four total baserunners, the Tigers put a runner in scoring position just once and were shut out for a second straight contest.
Junior southpaw SJ Guerin held her own through four innings of work, allowing two runs via a second-inning RBI single and a third-inning solo home run before ceding to relief arms Charley Butler and Abby Herndon. The duo closed out the contest allowing no earned runs, although a pair of infield errors behind Herndon in the seventh inning brought two unearned tallies across the plate, securing Alabama’s series-clinching victory 4-0.
“It was a little uncharacteristic of us to not make those defensive plays in the seventh,” Malveaux said. “It was a tough moment, but our defense has been solid as of late.”
Auburn’s pitching finally succumbed to Alabama’s high-octane lineup in the series finale, giving up nine runs on 10 hits in a six-inning run rule defeat. Ella Harrison couldn’t replicate her performance from Friday, allowing three runs on five hits with two bases on balls and no strikeouts in three innings. A four-run fifth inning saw the Tigers cycle through three different pitchers, giving up four walks in the process before finally escaping.
“Today makes our first two games an even tougher pill to swallow,” Malveaux said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win in the circle those first two games, knowing what Alabama’s lineup is capable of doing. It’s hard to expect your pitchers to shut down an offense like that the entire weekend.”
Alyssa Hastings put Auburn on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning, but it was all the Tigers could muster against Jocelyn Briski who accomplished her second complete game of the series. Alabama’s 9-1 win marked its sixth straight victory as they continue their pursuit of the SEC title.
Auburn will look to reset in preparation for next weekend’s series against No. 6 Florida in Gainesville. With just three SEC series remaining before the season comes to an end in early May, the Tigers will hope to salvage some strong contests to punctuate an otherwise disappointing stretch of conference play.
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