OXFORD, Miss. – Auburn softball (25-16-1, 7-13 SEC) loaded the bases in the top of the seventh and scratched across a run, but the Tigers' rally fell short as Ole Miss (27-23, 4-16 SEC) held on to a 4-2 win Saturday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex to even the series.
"We attacked early in the game, but our offense stalled," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We weren't able to make any adjustments. We were stubborn at the plate. We knew we were going to see two or three pitchers every game, so that was going to be key going into this series."
It was the Auburn defense that faltered with three uncharacteristic errors which helped Ole Miss score a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings. Only one of the Rebels' four runs on Saturday was earned.
Auburn jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning off an Anna Wohlers's sacrifice fly before Ole Miss put up its four runs. The Tigers were kept off the board until the seventh when they loaded the bases with one out. Rose Roach delivered a second sacrifice fly of the game to cut the lead to 4-2, but Auburn wasn't able to drive in any additional runs.
The Tigers out-hit Ole Miss on Saturday with Amelia Lech leading the charge with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate. She also drew a walk to reach base in all three of her plate appearances.
Annabelle Widra (4-3) turned in strong four innings in the circle. She gave up just three hits and one earned run while striking out three. Emmah Rolfe tossed two scoreless frames of relief to keep the Tigers in the game. She gave up one hit and three walks while striking out two.
Sunday's rubber game is set for 12 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.