AUBURN, Ala. – Having to fight from behind early in both contests, No. 25 Auburn softball (13-6-1, 1-4 SEC) fell short as No. 20 Arkansas (22-5, 2-0 SEC) swept Saturday's doubleheader at Jane B. Moore Field.
"We took too long to answer back in both games," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We did better in game two, but there are things we need to fix before tomorrow. It's not really physical things. We're going to have to focus on those little things."
Both teams ended the doubleheader with double-digit hits, but it was the long ball that proved the difference as six Razorback home runs helped Arkansas take both games by 6-1 and 5-1 finals, respectively.
Rose Roach led the Tigers at the plate with a 4-for-6 effort on Saturday. Anna Wohlers knocked a pair of hits and drove in both of Auburn's runs.
Arkansas built a 4-0 lead in the first inning of Saturday's opener with a pair of home runs. That score held until the fourth inning when Wohlers beat out a two-out infield single that allowed KK McCrary to score from second. The Razorbacks added two runs in the sixth with the help of two singles and a sacrifice fly. Auburn's defense put on a clinic in the contest as the Tigers turned three double plays.
Maddie Penta suffered the loss as she fell to 7-4 on the season. She struck out five in the contest. Freshman Malayna Tamborra shined in relief with two scoreless innings. She gave up just two hits.
It was a similar start in Saturday's second contest as a first-inning home run put Arkansas up 2-0. Wohlers cut the lead to 2-1 in the home half of the inning with a sacrifice fly. The Razorbacks used home runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings to pad their 5-1 lead.
Shelby Lowe suffered her first loss of the season as her record fell to 3-1. She struck out three in her four innings of work. Annabelle Wirda tossed three innings of relief for the Tigers.
Sunday's finale is currently set for 1 p.m. CT on the SEC Network+. With inclement weather in the forecast, fans are encouraged to check Auburn softball's social media pages for any updates.
