STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 17 Auburn softball (20-3, 0-2 SEC) battled late but No. 21 Mississippi State (20-3, 2-0 SEC) countered each Tiger response to clinch the series with a 9-4 win Sunday night at Nusz Park.
“We would have like to have showed up more aggressive,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “It took a couple innings to get that going a bit. That goal was to have that right away. In a game like this, that is the difference. It was too late to turn it on. We had our opportunities early. We didn’t take advantage. If you don’t do that in conference play, it can turn out really bad.
Icess Tresvik led the Tigers at the plate with a 2-for-4 night. Her highlight reel also included a home run rob in the first inning. KK McCrary knocked her fourth home run of the season, adding two RBI. Kyla Stroud recorded the first hit of her collegiate career with a pinch-hit single in the sixth to drive in a pair of runs while AnnaLea Adams extended her hit streak to nine consecutive games.
SJ Geurin, Chalea Clemmons and Emmah Rolfe all saw action in the circle for the Tigers. Geurin earned the start and suffered the loss to fall to 13-2. Clemmons carried the bulk of the work in relief, tossing four innings. She recorded three strikeouts.
Similar to Saturday, Auburn started the game with getting its first two batters on base as Tresvik and Nelia Peralta knocked a pair of singles, but an inning-ending double play silenced the threat.
Mississippi State followed in the home half with a quick start. A one-out double and wild pitch saw Nadia Barbary standing at third base for the Bulldogs. A Kiarra Sells bloop single to left brought in the first run on the game.
Lexi Sosa got ahold of a pitch, driving it to right center. Tresvik showed off her athleticism, chasing the ball down and making the grab over the fence to not only rob the home run, but she was also able to turn the double play to end the inning.
WE'D LIKE TO REPORT A ROBBERY 🤯😱🚔@IcessTresvik2 robs the home run AND turns the double play!
— Auburn Softball (@AuburnSoftball) March 9, 2025
📺: @SECNetwork #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/YDJa2jbVTF
State built a 5-0 lead by adding runs in both the second and third innings with the help of four hits and a Tiger error. Auburn had four consecutive base runners reach safely to lead off the fourth inning. McCrary delivered the big hit with a two-run homer to straightaway center to give the Tigers some life.
State pushed its lead back to five runs in the bottom of the frame with a home run.
Auburn made it interesting in the top of the six, loading the bases with no outs and without the help of a hit to force a State pitching change. Stroud delivered in a big way with a pinch-hit single to drive in a pair of runs and cut the lead to 7-4. State once again answered Auburn’s momentum with its third home run of the contest in the bottom of the inning.
The Tigers sent the heart of the order to the plate in the seventh but were unable to make any noise.
UP NEXT
Auburn looks to prevent the sweep in Monday night’s series finale. First pitch on the SEC Network is set for 7 p.m. CT.