AUBURN, Ala. – In a back-and-forth affair that featured three lead changes, Auburn softball came up short, falling to Missouri, 6-4, in Sunday’s series finale at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn (23-13, 2-7 SEC) battled from behind and used a clutch two-out single from freshman Ava Ratliff in the third inning to drive in a pair of runs and regain a 3-2 lead before adding an insurance run. Missouri, however, scored four unanswered runs across the final three innings to take the game.
“Missouri came up with more timely hits when they had scoring opportunities,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “At the end of the day, that felt like the difference in the game. We fought early, but they got it done. We didn’t.”
Sophomore Kylie Shaw was the lone Tiger with a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Ratliff finished 1-for-2 with two RBI, while sophomore AnnaLea Adams also drove in a run in a 1-for-3 performance.
It was a staff effort in the circle for Auburn, as four different pitchers saw action and combined for four strikeouts.
Sophomore Ella Harrison earned the start, allowing two runs on two hits over three innings. Freshman Charley Butler tossed a scoreless inning of relief, surrendering just one hit. Redshirt freshman Abby Herndon (4-4) was charged with the loss.
“We knew it was going to be a tough ask for Ella (Harrison) to go a complete game,” Malveaux added. “She was falling behind and didn’t have complete command. Charley (Butler) did a great job. We were working our way to SJ (Geurin). After throwing the complete game yesterday, we knew she couldn’t have a long relief outing. We just left a pitch out over the plate.”
Auburn took advantage of a Missouri (19-18, 4-5 SEC) miscue to score the game’s first run. With two on and one out, a ball up the middle was misplayed by the Tigers’ shortstop, allowing junior Alyssa Hastings to score.
The lead was short-lived as Stefania Abruscato homered in the third inning to give Missouri a 2-1 advantage. Auburn responded in the bottom half of the inning with Ratliff’s bases-loaded, two-run single to regain the lead. Adams added an insurance run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly.
Missouri pushed across three runs in the fifth inning. Abby Carr delivered the go-ahead blow with a two-run home run. Missouri added another run in the sixth with back-to-back hits.
“In the first four innings, it felt a lot different than the last three,” Malveaux said. “Once they took the lead, it deflated us. It took away some of the sharpness in what we were trying to do at the plate. We couldn’t get our mojo back. They outcompeted us.”
After finding success against Missouri’s first two pitchers, Auburn’s offense struggled against reliever Marissa McCann, who held the Tigers to one hit over the final 3.2 innings.
“Getting past it is probably not the answer,” Malveaux added. “We need to look at ourselves in the mirror right now. What happens from here on out determines the trajectory of this season. There’s a lot of softball left. If we don’t fix our outlook, nothing is going to change. That’s the hardest part of being such a young team.
“We’re feeling the impact of losing a senior in Destiny (Rodriguez). It’s a tough situation for us to be in, but these are the cards we were dealt. We have to play them. We need to come out and take pride and take this adversity head-on.”
GAME NOTES
- With her first-inning single, Alyssa Hastings recorded the 150th hit of her career.
- Kylie Shaw went 2-for-4 at the plate for her 11th multi-hit game of the season and her career.
- Ava Ratliff drove in two runs for the fourth multi-RBI game of her freshman season.
UP NEXT
Auburn continues Southeastern Conference play at Arkansas in the annual Saturday-Monday series. Saturday’s opener is set for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. Fans can listen locally on WEGL 91.1 FM or stream the broadcast on the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app.