Offense Sputters Again as Alabama Softball Drops Home Series to Auburn

For the sixth time in SEC play and second game in a row against the Tigers, the Alabama offense managed just one run.

Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News-USA TODAY NETWORK

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama is still looking for that elusive key hit. 

Sound familiar? It should. For the sixth time in SEC play and second game in a row against Auburn, the Crimson Tide offense scored just one run in the 3-1 loss to the Tigers Sunday afternoon. 

Alabama dropped the game and series to the Tigers, "wasting" the really good crowds at Rhoads Stadium according to head coach Patrick Murphy. 

The Crimson Tide's top two hitters in the lineup, Jenna Johnson and Kenleigh Cahalan, combined for four of Alabama's six hits off Auburn ace Maddie Penta. Alabama brought the winning runner to the plate in the seventh inning, but Johnson hit one back to Penta to end the game, stranding the two runners. 

"Someone else needs to come up with a hit," Murphy said after the game. "That’s the problem.”

Alabama is now averaging less than three runs per game in SEC play. 

This weekend was slated to be a pitcher's duel between Penta and Montana Fouts, and Sunday was the first time this series that the two matched up. Fouts got the win in game one, allowing just one run. Penta earned the win in game two, only allowing one run, setting up the decisive game three on Sunday. 

"Montana always gives us a good start, and she's gonna keep it to a low-run ballgame," Johnson said. "But we know as an offense, we’ve got to put some runs on the board and change the momentum to get it back on our side every time.”

Penta was completely shutting the offense down through the first three innings. Alabama finally got some momentum going in the bottom of the fourth when Johnson and Cahalan led things off with back-to-back hits. Johnson came in to score after a sac fly and RBI groundout to tie the game at 1-1 after Auburn got on the board with a solo home run from its nine-hole hitter in the third inning. 

The sixth inning set up just like the fourth. Johnson and Cahalan got on with singles, but the next three hitters couldn't come through to respond after the Tigers had scored two runs in the top of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. 

All three of Auburn's runs in the game came with two outs. 

"We need more fight, and we're gonna bring that next time," Johnson said. "I'm glad that we were able to get some momentum back our way, but at the end of the day, we got to have a little bit more and we're going to.”

The Crimson Tide was without leading home run hitter and RBI-producer Ashley Prange for the second game in a row after the fifth-year senior injured her lower leg sliding into second base during the fifth inning of Saturday's win. She will get an x-ray Monday to determine the extent of her injury. 

Alabama falls to 34-15 (10-8 SEC) and will have the whole week to practice at home before returning to Rhoads next weekend for a three-game series against LSU. 

"There’s still our best game in us," Murphy said. "And I think everybody believes that. Pitching, defense, hitting and we haven’t put it together at all for seven innings… Hopefully they’ll keep working hard, and I mean, we’re bound to put it together. I still believe in everybody.”

Fouts Dazzles for Alabama Softball in Game 1, Tide fizzles in Game 2 Against Auburn