NORMAN, Okla. – No. 24 Auburn softball (19-9, 2-3 SEC) used three home runs to build a 5-1 lead, but No. 6 Oklahoma (27-2, 2-0 SEC) scored seven unanswered runs to win game two, 8-5, clinching the series Saturday at Love’s Field.
The Tigers totaled seven hits, slugging three home runs off the Sooner pitching staff for the second consecutive game. Auburn’s Ella Harrison (8-4) held the high-powered Oklahoma offense to just one home run. The sophomore was the first pitcher to toss a complete game against the Sooners this season.
“It was costly mistakes and on the field in the end,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “Unfair to Ella (Harrison). It sucks to look at her and say, ‘that’s the final.’ She got after it, competed and gave us a chance to win it. We have a hard time of learning to not take a pitch off for some reason. I know we're young, but we can't be doing that. It's an opportunity blown. I did like the way we came out. We were really attacking the game plan. We got to do a better job of adjusting on a pitching change in that situation. It's hard to look Ella in the eyes after she laid it out in the in a circle for the entire game. She gave us a chance to win. We've got to take care of the ball.”
Junior Ma’Nia Womack led Auburn at the plate, reaching base in all three appearances. Womack went 2-for-2 and reached once via a hit by pitch. She slugged a home run and totaled two RBI. Sophomore AnnaLea Adams also turned in a multi-hit performance and aded a solo home run.
For the second straight game, Auburn struck first with a multi-run blast – this time off the bat of junior Alyssa Hastings. After sophomore Kylie Shaw led off the game with a walk, Hastings homered to right field to build a 2-0 Auburn lead. The Sooners made it a one-run game in the bottom of the frame, manufacturing a run with a pair of singles.
Auburn kept swinging away and connected for two more home runs off Oklahoma starting pitcher Miali Guachino. Womack delivered her two-run shot in the second inning, while Adams’ solo home run pushed the Tigers’ lead to 5-1 lead in the third.
The Tiger offense went silent against Oklahoma reliever Allyssa Parker. Parker tossed three scoreless frames, holding Auburn to three hits.
Oklahoma found success at the plate late, scoring seven unanswered runs to take the game. The Sooners scored two in the third inning om a Kasidi Pickering home run before using three hits to score two runs in the fifth to tie the game at 5-5.
Auburn looked poised to get out of the fifth inning unscathed, but a communication error in the outfield allowed a fly ball to drop safely for an RBI triple, extending the inning and giving the Sooners life.
Oklahoma scored three in the sixth to take the lead. After a double and a walk, the Tigers recorded a pair of ground outs, but the Sooner traded the outs to score the go-ahead run. A double, error and a pair of walks pushed across two additional runs.
Shaw led off the seventh with an infield single to give Auburn a base runner, but the Tigers went down in order behind her.
GAME NOTES
- Auburn has slugged multiple home runs in 13 of 28 contests this season. The Tigers are 10-3 in those games.
- Alyssa Hastings knocked a two-run home run in the first inning. It was her third home run of the season and the 11th of her career. Hastings recorded her third multi-RBI game in an Auburn uniform, bringing her career total to 18.
- Ma’Nia Womack slugged her ninth home run of the season with her second-inning blast, bringing her career total to 11. Womack now leads the team with eight multi-RBI games this season. She has 10 in her career. Womack added a single in the fourth inning to record her sixth multi-hit game of the season and the seventh of her career.
- AnnaLea Adams slugged a solo home run in the third inning for her fifth home run of the season, bringing her career total to 15. Adams added an infield single in the fifth inning to record her sixth multi-hit game of the season and her 20th in an Auburn uniform.
- Ella Harrison went the distance for the sixth time this season. She has 24 career complete games is the first opposing pitcher to go the distance against Oklahoma this season.
UP NEXT
Sunday’s series finale at Love’s Field is set for 12 p.m. CT. The contest will air on the SEC Network. Fans can listen locally on WEGL 91.1 FM or can stream the audio on the Auburn Tigers website or mobile app.
BACK AT HOME
The Tigers return home on Wednesday for Fan Appreciation Night at Jane B. Moore Field when Auburn hosts Jacksonville State at 6 p.m. CT. Fans will receive a free shoe koozie while supplies last. It’s Diamond Deals Day at the park as fans can enjoy $2.50 hot dogs and $5 domestic brews.