Auburn softball lost to No. 1 Alabama, 9-1, in six innings on April 12 at Jane B. Moore Field.
The game was significant as it marked the conclusion of a tough series for Auburn against the top-ranked Crimson Tide. Despite an effort that included a home run from Alyssa Hastings, Auburn was unable to keep pace with Alabama’s offense.
Hastings hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, narrowing Alabama’s lead to 3-1. However, Alabama responded by scoring four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth inning, ending the game early due to run-rule regulations. “Today makes our first two games an even tougher pill to swallow,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “We gave ourselves a chance to win in the circle those first two games, knowing what Alabama’s lineup is capable of doing. It’s hard to expect your pitchers to shut down an offense like that the entire weekend.” Malveaux continued: “We have no choice right now but to continue to try to figure this out and push through. If we knew why we were stuck in this, we would have fixed the problem already. We had some bright spots like (Alyssa) Hastings, but the internal battles right now are taking the sharpness away. We’ve got to get to the point where we can allow ourselves to be successful again.”
Alabama started scoring early by capitalizing on walks and adding runs through sacrifice plays and home runs throughout several innings. Auburn managed hits from freshman Haven Roebuck and sophomore Kylie Shaw but could not close the gap as Alabama extended its lead late in the game.
Junior Ella Harrison took her ninth loss of the season after pitching for Auburn during part of Sunday’s contest.
Looking ahead, Auburn will continue Southeastern Conference play next weekend with a three-game series against No. 6 Florida in Gainesville.
