The No. 6 Alabama softball team added another loss to the column on Wednesday night.
It came at the hands of in-state rival No. 23 Auburn in a midweek game that ended 6-2 in favor of the Tigers.
After a series loss to Mississippi State, including a 4-3 loss in extra innings after scoring three in the top of the 10th inning, Alabama was ready to hit the ground running for its next week of games.
“We can’t wait to play,” sophomore center fielder Haylie McCleney said on Tuesday. “It doesn’t really matter who we play at this point; we just can’t wait to get back on the field and just last weekend’s over, and we’re going to get better.”
Alabama came into the game against Auburn on a two-game losing streak. The Tigers were on a seven-game losing streak.
“You’ve just got to stick with it, and figure out what happened and then get going again,” coach Patrick Murphy said on Tuesday.
Junior right-hander Leslie Jury (13-5) earned the loss after 4 1/3 innings pitched, where she allowed six hits and six runs, five of which were earned.
Alabama (37-8) had four hits on Wednesday night. Its two runs came from a solo home run by junior Jadyn Spencer in the fourth and an RBI single by Molly Fichtner in the sixth inning. The Crimson Tide fell to 42-15 all-time against the Tigers after the loss.
Auburn had six total hits. Alabama freshman right-hander Sydney Littlejohn came in with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth and pitched 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.
Next, the Crimson Tide will travel to play Georgia Southern (30-14) and the University of North Carolina (22-22). The team has perfect records against both, 5-0 against the Eagles and 7-0 against UNC.
“We’re definitely going to play some new people and get people opportunities non-conference because they need to get those in game at-bats,” Murphy said on Tuesday. “I’m hoping to give every pitcher a start especially this weekend. Just go one, two, three. Catch all three catchers, and then get ready for Southern Miss.”
Senior Jaclyn Traina hasn’t pitched since Sunday, when she threw more than 170 pitches in the 4-3 loss to Mississippi State.
The last time Alabama and Georgia Southern met, the Crimson Tide came out on top 2-1 in extra innings. When Alabama last played UNC, it came out on top 10-1.
Alabama’s first game is against Georgia Southern at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday. The Crimson Tide will play UNC twice, a 5 p.m. CT matchup on Friday and an 11 a.m. game on Saturday.
