Auburn softball continued its cinderella run Wednesday afternoon, taking down No. 13 Texas A&M 11-8, capped off by Ava Ratliff’s go-ahead three-run home run.
After finishing conference play with a 4-20 record, including a historic 25-0 loss to LSU last Saturday, Auburn entered the SEC Tournament needing three wins to get back to .500 and become eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Following back-to-back upsets, the Tigers find themselves in position to do just that, needing a victory against No. 9 Florida in the quarterfinals in order to have the opportunity to receive a bid.
“We talked about it being a new season going into this week. It’s truly been that. This is the team we’ve been waiting to see for a while. It’s so fun as a coach to be able to sit and watch. That game was wild. Texas A&M is a very difficult team to play against," said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. "They have so many different weapons throughout their lineup and a diverse pitching staff. It’s mentally taxing. Our team did a great job of controlling what we can control, getting what we want and being aggressive with it. We’re playing free and staying in attack mode. I’m proud of this team and proud of the fight. What you’re watching is truly what this team is made of.”
Auburn was led by Ratliff and pitcher Ella Harrison in Wednesday’s win. Harrison went 5 1/3 innings in the circle, allowing just five hits and one earned run while striking out six. Ratliff went 2-for-4 and provided the game-winning moment, belting just her third home run of the year.
The Aggies jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the first courtesy of clutch doubles from Micaela Wark and Ariel Kowalewski.
After what has been a historically difficult second season on the Plains for the Malveauxes, Auburn could have folded after falling behind early.
However, the Tigers found momentum in their opening-round game against Missouri in the Bluegrass State and carried it into the top of the second in this one, plating four runs on four hits.
Ma'Nia Womack led off with a solo home run, her 14th of the year, to cut the deficit to 3-2. Auburn followed that up with professional at-bats from Haven Roebuck and Daigle Wilson, resulting in a walk and single to set the table for Kylie Shaw. She delivered, smashing a triple into right field to score Roebuck and Wilson and give Auburn a 4-3 lead. Aggies head coach Trisha Ford saw enough from starter Sydney Lessentine and brought in Sidne Peters from the bullpen. Alyssa Hastings greeted her, immediately singling up the middle to score Shaw and make it a 5-3 advantage.
Auburn kept its foot on the gas in the third, as Roebuck launched a two-run shot to left field to extend the lead to 7-3. The freshman finished the game 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs.
After three straight scoreless frames from Harrison and Auburn, the Tigers translated their momentum from defense to offense as AnnaLea Adams hit her seventh home run of the season to give Auburn an 8-3 lead.
Texas A&M didn’t go down without a fight, scoring five combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings via two home runs from Mya Perez and Paislie Allen, along with timely hitting from Wark, to even the game at eight.
Ratliff came through with two aboard and two outs in the seventh, smashing a go-ahead three-run shot to give Auburn an 11-8 lead.
Harrison re-entered the game and recorded the final three outs to earn the save and send Auburn to the SEC quarterfinals for the first time since 2023.
First pitch between the Tigers and Gators is set for 10 a.m. CDT Thursday on SEC Network.
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Rory is a sophomore majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
