AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn Softball traveled to No. 2 Texas this past weekend, where they struggled in all three games to compete. The Tigers could not come out with a win in Texas, getting swept in the series.
Coming into this series, Auburn Co-Head Coach Chris Malveaux said “Texas is a great team. They are pretty complete in every area with World Series experience.” Auburn knew they were up against a tall task, which proved to be too much for the Tigers this weekend.
In the series opener on Friday Night, Auburn recorded five hits which allowed them to score two runs in the contest. Senior Abbey Smith was a highlight for the Tigers in her return to her home state. Smith singled in the third, and later on scored Auburn’s first run in the fifth inning off of an infield single. Sophomore Thalia Martin also contributed, scoring Auburn's second and final run on a wild pitch.
Outside of a few good plays, the Tigers could not gain much momentum. Auburn fell in the series opener 12-2.
The Tigers came out with a new mindset in the second contest of the series, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Freshman AnnaLea Adams shined in this game, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI’s. Icess Tresvik also had a strong pitching performance to start, pitching two shutout innings. But the Longhorns were never out of this contest, with Longhorn Leighann Goode hitting a three-run homer in the fourth. The Tigers still had control of this game, leading 5-4 heading into the seventh inning.
Texas continued to fight, with Katie Stewart hitting a three-run home run to get a walk-off win for the Longhorns. The Tigers had more positives in the second game of the series but fell 7-5.
In the final contest of the series, Auburn jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, with Icess Tresvik and Nelia Peralta contributing. In the bottom of the second inning, Texas was able to put up nine runs. These runs were a result of Texas loading the bases with no outs, which proved costly for the Tigers. Auburn continued to battle, but never could score any more runs. The Tigers fell to Texas 13-2 in the series finale.
Auburn Co-Head Coach Chris Malveaux commented after the series loss "We don’t have enough right now to go against a team like Texas. We were outmatched; it is as simple as that”.
Auburn will travel to play in-state rival Troy this upcoming Wednesday, March 26th. This game is slated for 6 p.m. CT and can be viewed on ESPN+ and WEGL 91.1 FM.
