Alabama drops Auburn 6-4 in SEC Tourney opener

With a national seed in the NCAA Tournament likely on the line, the Alabama softball team beat Auburn 6-4 in their first game of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night.

Auburn jumped out in front 2-0 early in the game thanks to Alyssa Rivera's two-run single in the top of the first inning. That lead didn't last all that long though. In the bottom frame, Bailey Hemphill knotted things up with a two-run blast to straight away center.

Bailey Hemphill's bat remained hot Wednesday against Auburn, smashing a big two-run home run in the first inning#BamaSB #RollTide pic.twitter.com/J5BYDPraPp

— Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) May 10, 2018

We'd remain at a 2-2 tie till the top of the 5th inning. That's where Auburn's Casey McCrackin got in on the long ball action, crushing a two-run homer of her own to center field to put the Tigers back in front by two. But, much like the first inning, that lead didn't have much staying power.

After doubling to left-center to lead off the inning, Reagan Dykes made her way to third and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it a 3-4 ballgame. With runners on second and third, Elissa Brown lined a two-run double off the glove of Taylon Snow at third to give the Crimson Tide a 5-4 lead. They'd later add another run in the 6th inning thanks to a Merris Schroder RBI single to left to jump in front 6-4.

The Tigers didn't go down quietly, loading the bases in the top of the 7th inning, but Alexis Osorio caught pinch hitter Justus Perry swinging to seal the deal on a 6-4 victory for the Tide.

In total, Osorio pitched 4.2 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs with seven walks and seven strikeouts.

In the second round of the conference tournament, Alabama will face the top seed, Florida in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. As for Auburn, they'll likely spend the rest of the postseason on the road as they await their fate in the NCAA Softball Tournament.