Alabama Softball Falls in Extra Innings Against Auburn, 3-0, Friday Night

Alabama softball battled Auburn for nearly four hours Friday night at Rhoads Stadium, with neither team scoring until the ninth inning as the Tigers ultimately came out on top, 3-0, over the Crimson Tide.

The game, officially lasting three hours and 44 minutes, was the longest game this season for Alabama (39-14, 11-10 SEC). The Tide out-hit Auburn (44-8, 16-6 SEC), 5-3, but an untimely error in the top of the ninth ultimately allowed the go-ahead run to score for the Tigers. Chandler Dare went 2-4 batting third and Reagan Dykes hit a second-inning single to extend her hitting streak to five games. Alexis Osorio pitched 7.0 innings in the start, tossing a career-high 184 pitches with 18 strikeouts and 11 walks, ultimately not factoring into the decision. Sydney Littlejohn (14-6) took the loss in relief, though all three of the runs credited to her were unearned.

Alabama had two runners on base in each of the first two innings but could not score and Auburn left at least one on base in each of the first four innings before threatening again in the top of the fifth, loading the bases on three walks. Osorio’s 13th strikeout of the day stranded the bases loaded and ended the top half of the inning with the game still scoreless.

The two teams remained scoreless through the seventh inning, forcing extras for the fourth time this season for Alabama. A leadoff walk in the top of the eighth ended Osorio’s outing in the circle as Littlejohn entered in relief and ultimately got out of the inning with a strikeout, stranding two on base. Alabama got the potential go-ahead run into scoring position in the bottom-half of the inning with one out but a flyout and lineout kept it at 0-0 heading to the ninth.

With two on base in the top of the ninth for Auburn, an errant throw allowed the batter to reach safely and the runner from second to score, giving Auburn a 1-0 lead on the unearned run. Kendall Veach added some cushion with a two-run double to make it 3-0 and the Tide went down in order in the bottom half as the Tigers held on to win.

Game two of the weekend series is set for a 7 p.m. CT start on Saturday, May 6. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.