ATLANTA — The Auburn softball team stranded eight runners, as the Oregon Ducks took advantage of an Auburn error to score the game’s only run and defeat the Tigers 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Friday afternoon.

Auburn dropped to 30-25 overall with the loss. Oregon improved to 34-19. Auburn will play Jacksonville State, which lost to Georgia Tech Friday night, at 1:30 p.m. today in an elimination game.

The game will be aired live on ESPN (Charter Cable Channel 31 in Lee County).

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the seventh, the Tigers got the leadoff runner on when Kelley Smiley singled. A sacrifice bunt by Krista Clyde moved
Smiley to second a bunt single by Caitlin Stangl put runners on first and third with one out.

But Oregon pitcher Jessica Moore got Amber Harrison to strikeout and Katie Colton to ground out to end the game and seal the win.

Moore improved to 15-11 in earning the complete-game victory.  Moore allowed just seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Auburn pitcher Anna Thompson took the loss in going the distance to fall to 17-10. Thompson allowed one run, unearned, on three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in six innings of work. Thompson moved into sixth place in SEC history in career strikeouts, finishing the game with 1,076 career Ks.

Both pitchers cruised through the first three innings, as the Tigers and Ducks combined for just two hits, one apiece.

The Tigers missed a scoring opportunity in the fourth inning when Kyndall White led off the inning with a double to the gap in right-center. Moore was able to work out of the jam by forcing a foul out to first and a pair of infield ground outs to end the inning and preserve a scoreless tie.

Auburn missed another scoring chance in the fifth inning. Krista Clyde drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a two-out single up the middle by Harrison. Colton then bunted for a single, but Clyde was caught off the bag after advancing to third to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Ducks got a leadoff single from Allie Burger, but a wild throw from Kelsey Cartwright allowed Burger to reach second. A sac bunt moved Burger to third. Sam Pappas was then walked to put runners at first and third with one out. A bunt by Kelsey
Chambers was fielded by Smiley, who threw home, but Burger slid under the tag to give Oregon the final 1-0 margin of victory.