Casey McCrackin had a home run in each of Saturday's games.

After scoring 19 runs on 25 hits in beating Tennessee State 11-4 and Western Kentucky on Friday, the Tigers combined for four runs on 10 hits in falling twice Saturday. They were scoreless for 10 consecutive innings, from the second inning of the first against Missouri State through the fifth inning of the second game against Louisiana Tech.

Three of Auburn’s five runs Saturday came on solo home runs, one by Casey McCrackin in each game and one by Bree Fornis in the first game.

It was a devastating day for a team that seemed Friday to have banished the demons of last season’s offensive struggles.

Auburn coach Mickey Dean did not hide his frustration.

“We need to play from the beginning,” Dean said. “We talk about execution all the time. That is supposed to be our word this year. We haven’t been able to do it. The first game, they score four runs on four groundballs to the second-base side. We didn’t do any of that. We didn’t get a bunt down to move a runner until the seventh inning of the second game.

“Four times today we left a runner on third base with less than two outs. We have to execute. We know that. We as a staff, we as a team, we have to work and get better.”

In the second game, Makayla Martin was dominant for five innings but gave up a run in the sixth and another in the seventh. McCrackin’s homer tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, but Louisiana Tech scored a run in the top of the seventh. Auburn left the potential tying run on third base.

Taylon Snow and McCrackin each had two hits. Justus Perry had Auburn’s only other hit.

In the first game, Missouri State scored four runs off Ashlee Swindle in the second inning and made them stand up. Swindle battled back to pitch five shutout innings, but it wasn’t enough. Auburn got a run in the first inning on a bases-loaded walk to Perry and two in the second on solo home runs by Fornis and McCrackin. But there would be no more.

The Tigers had two runners on base with nobody out in the sixth inning but came up empty. They left the bases loaded in the first inning.

Taylon Snow and McCrackin had two hits apiece for Auburn.

There are some bright spots for Auburn. In four games, McCrackin is 7-for-14 with three home runs. Alyssa Rivera is 5-for-11 with one home run. Kendall Veach is 5-for-11 with three home runs. But at crunch time on Saturday, the Tigers had no answers.

Auburn plays its final game in the tournament today against Florida A&M at 10 a.m. The Rattlers have lost to 9-1 to Louisiana Tech, 4-3 to Western Kentucky and 7-4 to Missouri State.