AUBURN, Ala. – Despite a nine-strikeout night from sophomore Ella Harrison to keep Missouri guessing, Auburn softball struggled to find production at the plate and dropped game one of the series, 3-0, Friday night at Jane B. Moore Field.
Harrison turned in a strong outing in the circle, issuing no walks while striking out nine and scattering just six hits.
“That’s a tough-luck game for Ella (Harrison),” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “She shouldn’t have been in that position. There were opportunities we could have created to get run support for her. It’s a tough ask in conference play to go shut somebody out.”
Auburn was limited to four hits. Sophomore Kylie Shaw and freshman Haven Roebuck each recorded doubles, while junior Ma’Nia Womack and freshman Ava Ratliff added singles.
“(Cierra Harrison) did a good job working ahead, but to be honest, we didn’t compete,” Malveaux said. “For whatever reason, we locked up despite knowing what was coming. We got defensive. We looked to put it into play instead of looking to score runs. That’s the story of the game.
“Kudos to her for continuing to pound the zone and pitch her game. It’s a shame that we didn’t put any pressure on her. We weren’t a threat. I don’t understand how we came out like that tonight.”
The Tigers looked to escape a jam after allowing a leadoff double in the second inning, but a two-out base hit plated the first Missouri run. Harrison settled back in with a scoreless third before a Madison Uptegrove solo home run extended the Missouri lead to 2-0. Uptegrove added another RBI with a triple in the sixth.
“The series is still at hand,” Malveaux added. “We have to change something. We can’t come back out here tomorrow doing the exact same thing. We’ve got to make it happen, be a little more intentional tonight and wake up with a motive. It’s going to be a fight, and we’ve got to come back ready to go.”
GAME NOTES
- With her third-inning double, Kylie Shaw brought her season total to eight.
- Haven Roebuck doubled in the fourth inning to bring her season total to eight.
- Shaw and Roebuck are now tied with Alyssa Hastings for the team lead in doubles.
- Ella Harrison tossed her ninth complete game of the season, bringing her career total to 27. She has struck out at least nine batters in back-to-back starts.
UP NEXT
MalveauxMania II continues Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. Game two will air on SEC Network+. Fans can listen locally on WEGL 91.1 FM or stream the broadcast on the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app. The team will participate in a postgame autograph session.