TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Auburn Tigers fell to the South Florida Bulls 12-7 in game one of the Tallahassee Regional in the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon. The heartbreaking loss in nine innings sends the Tigers to the loser's bracket where they will need a win to extend their season.
The Tigers gave the ball to Cal State Fullerton transfer and senior Haley Rainey. Rainey worked a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top half of the first, and then in their first opportunity at the plate, Auburn made a big statement.
Nelia Peralta, who hit in the leadoff spot for the first time since early March, singled to spark what ended up being a five-run first frame. KK McCrary added another base knock before an RBI triple from Anna Wohlers opened the scoring. Rose Roach got in on the action with an RBI single of her own before Amelia Lech dealt another big blow, hitting a towering home run down the left-field line to put the Tigers up 5-0.
South Florida offered an immediate response in the top of the second. After allowing two Bulls to reach base, Rainey came up with a big strikeout when runners were at the corners with just one out. The nine-hole hitter Kathy Garcia-Soto would not let the Tigers off the hook in the second however, as her two-out knock brought in two runners to score.
When the Tigers went down in order in the second, South Florida took the opportunity to cut into the Auburn lead a little more. SJ Geurin was inserted into the circle in hopes of keeping the Bulls’ offense at bay, but the first two batters of the inning jumped on the Tiger ace. Alex Wilkes singled and cleanup hitter Josie Foreman left the yard to make it a 5-4 game.
That wouldn’t be the last time Foreman would give the Tigers trouble. In her next at-bat following the home run, she delivered another two-run shot that left in a hurry. Six unanswered runs after Auburn’s five spot in the first inning gave the Bulls their first lead of the contest at 6-5.
Auburn finally found their offense again when they needed it most in the bottom of the sixth. South Florida ace Belle Sardja was greeted by a Rose Roach triple that nearly cleared the fence in right-center. Aubrie Lisenby singled up the middle two batters later to bring home Roach and knot the game at six apiece.
Neither team could scratch a run across in the seventh, but the offensive fireworks continued in the eighth. With two outs in the top half, Garcia-Soto scorched a solo shot over the wall to give the Bulls another one-run lead. The first two Tigers went down quickly in the bottom half, but with two outs, Lech left the yard for the second time in the game to force a ninth inning.
The wheels completely fell off for Auburn in the ninth, however. South Florida quickly loaded the bases after a single, an error and a walk. A hit-by-pitch brought in the leading run. Camille Ortiz-Martinez put the final nail in the coffin a batter later, hitting a grand slam to give the Bulls a 12-7 lead that Auburn had no response to in the bottom of the frame.
After the loss, the Tigers moved to the loser’s bracket in the Tallahassee Regional, where they are set to face the loser of Florida State and Robert Morris. That game will start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network.
