Auburn dropped all three games on the road to No. 3 Arkansas, extending its losing streak to six games, all in SEC play.
The Tigers are 23-16 (2-10 SEC), and the Razorbacks are 33-5 (9-4 SEC) after sweeping Auburn in Fayetteville.
In the first game of the series, Auburn fell to the Razorbacks 10-0. The Tigers committed an error in the third inning that led to three unearned runs, followed by another in the fourth, adding five more unearned runs to the board.
“We had a couple of mistakes that led to big innings,” co-head coach Chris Malveaux said. “Little things like that leave the door open. (Robyn Herron) is tough to score against. We had some opportunities. It feels like the score was exaggerated compared to how the game began. The biggest thing we need to do is stay disciplined at the plate and realize we’re one play away from keeping the score from getting away. We’ve got to learn from today and move past it.”
The next night, Auburn’s bats stayed quiet while Arkansas’ did the opposite. Junior SJ Geurin retired the first five batters she faced but later gave up three home runs.
“I felt like we pitched and played defense well enough to win that game,” Malveaux said. “SJ (Geurin) did a great job of attacking the zone and making Arkansas make some tough decisions. The three balls they happened to square up all left the yard. That’s the difference in the game. It’s just where we’re at right now. No matter how we got here, it feels like whatever can go wrong is going wrong. We’ve just got to scrap and fight and find our way out of it.”
Auburn opened the final game of the series by scoring in the top of the first, putting their first run of the series on the board. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Razorbacks’ bats couldn’t be stopped. Arkansas drove in three solo home runs and added a sacrifice bunt for a fourth run to win the game.
Sophomore Ella Harrison got the start for Auburn, throwing three innings while striking out two and allowing three runs. The Tigers used multiple pitchers in relief, including redshirt freshman Blayne Godfrey, freshman Charley Butler and SJ Geurin. Redshirt freshman Abby Herndon also pitched in relief, throwing two scoreless innings and allowing only one hit.
“The game is reminding us that it’s a humbling process and that getting back on track takes time,” Malveaux said. “I feel like we’re just a step away. Success is around the corner if we continue to push through.”
After a disappointing road trip to Fayetteville, the Tigers return home to host rival No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl of softball, starting Friday.
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