Auburn’s late rally falls short in game two loss to Mississippi State
Saturday’s middle game of Auburn’s series with Mississippi State got off to a quiet start, and it seemed as if the Tigers would remain in control for the remainder of the contest.
But a series of wild events would turn a casual Saturday into an offensive clinic that ended with Mississippi State rising victorious, 11-10 to even the series.
The Tigers held a 2-0 advantage through the first five innings of the game, but Mississippi State would blow the game open by scoring six runs in the 6th inning. They would also score three runs in the 8th, and two more in the 9th to take an 11-3 lead over Auburn as the Tigers headed into its’ final frame.
Despite digging itself into a deep hole, Auburn almost worked its’ way out of it.
Auburn would score seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the 9th inning to cut the Bulldog advantage to one run, but a late strikeout would leave the tying run on 3rd base, ending Auburn’s threat.
“The will is good. It’s the execution, kind of the same thing from the pitching side,” head coach Butch Thompson said following Saturday’s game. “Still, we got within striking distance, still fighting, and there’s still an opportunity to win a series tomorrow, which is very important for us.”
It was business as usual for Cooper McMurray, as he put Auburn on the board by hitting a home run for the second straight game. His two-run blast in the 2nd inning would give Auburn a 2-0 advantage, which is one that they would hang on to for three innings.
As the game turned to the 6th inning, Christian Herberholz would turn things over to Tanner Bauman after shutting out the Bulldogs over five innings, allowing just three hits and walking one batter while striking out four. Bauman walked two of the first three batters that he would face, which caused Thompson to call on John Armstrong to get Auburn out of the jam.
That, however, would not work, as the Bulldogs would score four runs on his watch. The big blow would be a three-run home run by Slate Alford, which would be the final batter that Armstrong would face. Chase Isbell would end the inning, but he would see a blemish as well by giving up a two-run home run to Amani Larry to extend Mississippi State’s lead to 6-2.
Auburn would get a run back in the 7th inning on a Cole Foster single that scored Kason Howell, but the Bulldogs would catch wind again in the 8th and 9th inning to climb to an 11-3 lead. Kellum Clark and Luke Hancock each hit home runs over the final two innings, with Ross Highfill adding two runs in the 8th inning on a two-RBI double.
Auburn’s furious 9th-inning rally began with a leadoff home run by Howell and would grow after Tiger batters hit in five-straight at-bats with one out in the inning. Foster, Bobby Peirce, and Ike Irish would score runs in the sequence to trim Auburn’s lead to 11-7.
Howell would contribute to the comeback once more with two outs in the inning, as his two-out triple would score three runs and clear the bases to bring the Bulldog lead to 11-10. In the next at-bat, Ryan Dyal would strike out, which ended the effort.
Eight batters recorded a hit in the game for Auburn, with three batters recording two-or-more hits. Howell had the most success at the plate for Auburn, as he went 3-for-5 with four RBI.
Following Herberholz’s 5.0 outing, Drew Nelson and Chase Alsup would be the only relievers to pitch at least one full inning. Nelson and Isbell combined to allow five earned runs, four hits, and four walks while striking out five batters in the final two innings.
Game three between Auburn and Mississippi State is set for a 1 p.m. CT first pitch on Sunday at Plainsman Park. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
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