AUBURN – Facing a three-run deficit in the top of the seventh, the Alabama softball team plated a run with two outs and put the tying run on base but the late rally ultimately fell short as the Crimson Tide lost to Auburn, 3-1, to even the weekend series.
Alabama (19-6, 1-1 SEC) was held to just one hit over the first five innings before tallying three in the remaining two innings, including an RBI single from sophomore Elissa Brown in the seventh. Auburn (26-6, 1-4 SEC) scored three runs on five hits, earning its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season.
Freshman Madison Preston (6-2) took the loss for Alabama, pitching 3 1/3 innings while junior Courtney Gettins pitched 2 2/3 relief innings behind her, getting the Crimson Tide out of bases-loaded jams in back-to-back innings.
Kendall Veach’s RBI double in the second inning gave Auburn a 1-0 lead. Preston and the Tide defense limited the damage with a strikeout and groundout to keep Veach stranded at second and end the inning with a one-run deficit.
Auburn’s Morgan Podany led off the bottom of the third with a walk and successfully stole second on the third strike of the next at-bat. A groundout moved her to third base with two out and a wild pitch brought her home to increase the Tigers’ lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, a bases-loaded walk increased the Tigers’ lead to 3-0 before a strikeout ended the frame, stranding the bases loaded for the second-consecutive inning.
The series rubber match is set for a 1 p.m. CT start Sunday, having been moved up from its original 5 p.m. start time due the threat of inclement weather later in the afternoon. The game will stream live on WatchESPN.com and will air as a tape-delay broadcast on the SEC Network in its original 5 p.m. CT time slot.
