A good offensive showing was not enough to overcome shaky pitching and defense Wednesday night, May 20, as Auburn lost 9-8 to top-ranked LSU in a sloppy game at the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover.
The two teams combined for seventeen runs, eighteen hits and five errors in a game that was delayed for 90 minutes because of rain in the area.
Auburn got off to a fast start offensively in the first inning against LSU starting pitcher Jared Poche. After leadoff batter Anfernee Grier flied out to right field to begin the game, the next five Tigers reached base.
After Melvin Gray and Damon Haecker walked, Daniel Robert reached on an error and Blake Logan singled to left field to score Gray. Alex Polston followed with a two-run single to left field, and Cody Nulph capped off the five-run first inning with a two-run single of his own.
LSU scored three runs in the bottom of the second off Auburn starting pitcher Rocky McCord, but Auburn answered with two runs in the top of the third inning.
Robert and Logan reached base to open the inning, and LSU second baseman Jared Foster booted a ground ball hit by Jordan Ebert, which allowed both Auburn runners to score.
The powerful LSU offense, aided by Auburn’s poor pitching and defense, broke out in a big way in the bottom of the fifth inning.
McCord gave up one run, and Trey Wingenter was called from the bullpen to pitch for Auburn. Wingenter struck out All-SEC shortstop Alex Bregman before the inning unraveled.
Consecutive hits by Conner Hale and Kade Scivicque pushed across a total of three runs. A fifth run was scored when right fielder Haecker lost a fly ball in the lights and allowed it to drop.
A final run scored on an RBI single by Chris Sciambro before Auburn got out of the inning.
LSU used seven pitchers in the game, including four over the final four innings. The Auburn offense went cold down the stretch, managing only one hit and four baserunners over the last four innings.
Parker Bugg slammed the door on Auburn in the ninth inning when he struck out Sam Gillikin to end the game.
Auburn will return to action in Hoover on Thursday at 1 p.m. The Tigers will face the loser of the Florida versus Arkansas game, which is to be played late Wednesday night.
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