Auburn softball falls in opening round of SEC Tournament

Battling from behind, (15) Auburn softball cut it to a one-run game heading into the seventh but (10) Alabama hung on for a 3-2 win Tuesday night in the opening round of the SEC Softball Tournament at Jack Turner Stadium.

Auburn softball falls in opening round of SEC TournamentAuburn softball falls in opening round of SEC Tournament

ATHENS, Ga. – Battling from behind, (15) Auburn softball cut it to a one-run game heading into the seventh but (10) Alabama hung on for a 3-2 win Tuesday night in the opening round of the SEC Softball Tournament at Jack Turner Stadium. 

"I felt like we were ready for this game,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux said. “We came out with a lot of energy. (Jocelyn) Briski is a tough pitcher to hit. She has a lot of options. We put ourselves in a position to barrel up some balls. Alabama just made some great plays. SJ (Geurin) was throwing well, but they made some things happen at the plate. I liked the way we competed. It’s tough in postseason because you can always look back at one or two plays. The little things make the biggest difference in the postseason. This was really good tune-up for us to get us thinking about the right things moving forward next week.

The Tigers jumped out to an early as Nelia Peralta lined a solo home run to right field in the opening frame. It was her 10th home run of the season, marking the first time since her 2022 freshman season that she has slugged double-digit home runs. 

Peralta closed the game 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Aubrie Lisenby also turned in a multi-hit performance for the Tigers with a 2-for-2 effort. 

Alabama countered in the bottom of the second to tie the game. After a single to lead off the inning, Salen Hawkins doubled in the tying run. After giving up a third hit, SJ Geurin (20-10) worked her way out of the jam to leave two stranded and keep the game knotted up. 

A pair of hits, including an RBI triple from Brooke Ellestad, and a sacrifice fly drove in a pair of runs to give Alabama a 3-1 lead after three innings of play. 

After trading scoreless fourth and fifth innings, Auburn punched back in the sixth. AnnaLea Adams followed a Peralta walk with a single to put two on. Peralta worked her way to third before scoring on an Icess Tresvik sacrifice fly to cut the Alabama lead to 3-2. 

Defensively, Tresvik also littered the highlight reel throughout the game with multiple hit-robbing grabs in right field. 

The Tigers got the tying run on base in the seventh with a Lisenby single but couldn’t come away with the equalizing hit.  

UP NEXT

Auburn will wait to hear its named called during Sunday’s NCAA Softball Division I Selection Show. The show airs on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT.