AUBURN, Ala. – Mizzou Softball (24-18, 5-9 SEC) fell 6-1 to No. 7 Auburn in its series finale Sunday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field. Similar to Saturday evening's contest, the visiting Tigers fell victim to another big inning by Auburn, as the host team produced a game-deciding five runs in the fifth frame.
Senior Kirsten Mack (Riverside, Calif.) laced a first inning single to centerfield, extending her career-high streak of reaching base safely to 19 games. Senior Cheyenne Baxter (Norborne, Mo.) allowed two baserunners in her first frame via a walk and base hit, but answered with a pair of strikeouts to close the opening inning.
Both starting pitchers were in a groove early, as the game was scoreless heading to the bottom half of the third inning. Auburn broke through however in its at bat with a two-out RBI single to left field.
Mizzou's batters were baffled for multiple innings by Auburn's Kaylee Carlson, as she retired 10 consecutive batters over one stretch. Freshman Gabby Garrison (Missouri City, Texas) finally ended the streak with an infield single in the fifth inning. Coach Earleywine attempted to get Garrison in scoring position with the game still only a one-run affair, but she was caught stealing at second to end the frame.
After a stellar first inning of relief in the fourth inning, Auburn answered with a vengeance in the fifth inning off of Mizzou's Baumgartner. In all, the host Tigers tallied five runs on four hits in the fifth frame, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple in the right-center gap.
Mizzou finally broke through in the sixth inning, courtesy of a leadoff home run to centerfield by freshman Cayla Kessinger (Saugus, Calif.). The first-year Tiger's blast marked her sixth overall home run this season and her third in Southeastern Conference action.
Hear From the Tigers
Kessinger on the weekend at Auburn…
"We started well with our win Friday night, but we struggled with consistency the next two days. We showed that we can continue to compete with anyone in the country. That's definitely a positive. It will be good to be home this week and we'll have a lot of opportunities to get better."
Up Next
Mizzou returns to Columbia, Mo., this coming week (April 17-23) for six games over six days. The Tigers open their busy week at Mizzou Softball Stadium with a doubleheader against SEMO on Tuesday, April 18. Game one is slated for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch.
Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Softball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (University of Missouri Softball Team) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouSoftball).
