Seeking to even the series against Tennessee, Auburn fell short Friday night.

The Tigers struck out 14 times in a 6-4 loss, unable to recover from a five-run Tennessee second inning that put Auburn in an early deficit.

“We had some things not go our way,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “It’s hard to not respond as an athlete in that situation. We just got to make sure we don’t let the frustrations linger. It took a couple innings, and we struggled to power through. I love the fight towards the end. We were able to string some things together offensively, but we just have to find a way to make it happen tomorrow.”

Nelia Peralta opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run, a contrast to the opener that saw five scoreless innings from both teams the night prior. Tennessee answered in the bottom of the frame with a two-out RBI triple, before opening things up in the second inning.

SJ Geurin, who started the game for Auburn, struck out the first batter of the inning before giving up a single and an RBI triple. Haley Rainey then took over in the circle, intentionally walking a batter ahead of an RBI groundout.

Rainey then gave up a three-run home run with two outs and Tennessee gained a comfortable 6-1 lead after two innings.

Anna Wohlers pushed a run across for Auburn in the fourth with an RBI single, while Peralta and AnnaLea Adams both recorded RBI in the fifth to make it a two-run game.

Six of the next seven Auburn batters struck out, as the Tigers tallied 14 strikeouts.

The series finale is set for 1 p.m. CST Saturday on the SEC Network.