Auburn advances in SEC Tournament with late rally

Auburn softball lives to fight another day in the SEC Tournament.

With their season on the line, the 14-seed Tigers rallied late to upset 11-seed Missouri and advance to the second round of the SEC Tournament. It’s Auburn’s first win in the SEC Tournament since 2023.

Auburn is now 26-27 overall and must reach the semi-finals of the tournament to qualify for a potential NCAA Tournament bid.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Missouri scored two runs in the first and held Auburn scoreless for the first five innings.

However, Alyssa Hastings led off the sixth inning with a triple — just the third hit of the game for Auburn. Hastings scored on a throwing error by Missouri’s catcher, cutting the deficit to one.

Ma’Nia Womack then walked with two outs and Destiny Rodriguez followed with a single, putting runners at the corners. A wild pitch by Missouri tied the game, before Haven Roebuck came to the plate.

Roebuck hit a two-run, go-ahead home run, her first home run since March 13, to give Auburn a 4-2 advantage.

Auburn added a couple of insurance runs in the seventh, with a solo home run from Kyla Stroud and an RBI single from Womack.

Ella Harrison pitched the first four innings for Auburn, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out five and walking two. Charley Butler delivered three scoreless innings of relief, giving up just one hit and walking one.

Auburn faces Texas A&M at 10 a.m. CST on Wednesday, May 6. The game is set to air on SEC Network.