Despite holding the lead for the majority of the game, errors and base running mistakes cost Auburn baseball the win as they fell short to Missouri losing 4-3 in front of a capacity crowd of more than 4,000 fans at Plainsman Park.
Dillon Ortman picked up the loss going to 5-2 on the season.
"I thought he pitched pretty well because we could be talking about a 3-1 win right now if we just field the ball and don't walk their nine hole," said head coach Sunny Golloway.
"I think the whole key with this club is can we learn from our mistakes. That's going to be key for our success down the road."
After Ortman shut down Missouri's top of the order with a nine-pitch 1-2-3 first inning, Damek Tomscha hit an RBI single to bring home Jordan Ebert to take the 1-0 lead after one inning.
With one out in the top of the second, Missouri hit two consecutive singles. Dylan Kelly followed with an RBI single to tie it up. Ortman forced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Ortman got into another jam in the top of the third with one out and runners on the corners but he threw a strikeout and forced a groundout to keep the score tied.
Missouri's pitcher Eric Anderson hit Damon Haecker then let up another single to Tomscha to open up the bottom of the third. But Auburn left those two runners stranded as Anderson finished the inning off with two consecutive strikeouts.
After Ortman pitched a quick fourth inning, Auburn's offense began with a walk but then recorded three straight outs to keep it at 1-1 going to the fifth.
Ortman carried his momentum into the top of the fifth with another 1-2-3 inning featuring two strikeouts.
In the bottom half of the inning, Auburn showed sparks of offense starting with Ebert's third single of the night. Haecker then put down a successful bunt for a hit, which also advanced Ebert to third. But Haecker was caught stealing second, Tomscha struck out and Ryan Tella popped it up to end the inning scoreless.
Despite allowing a single, Ortman kept it going in the sixth with another quick scoreless inning.
Blake Austin led off the bottom of the sixth with a stand-up double and Dan Glevenyak worked a one-out walk to force a pitching change. Missouri's new pitcher Breckin Williams then gave up an RBI single to Keegan Thompson.
Auburn gave Ortman some more run support with an RBI single by Sam Gillikin to make it 3-1 before Ebert grounded into a double play to end the sixth inning.
Missouri tied the score in the seventh when Logan Pearson hit a two-out two-RBI double.
After two singles and two outs, Auburn tried to pull off a double steal but Tella was called out at third on a close call to end the seventh inning.
On his first pitch of the eighth inning, Ortman gave up a double off the left field fence, and that was it for him as Jay Wade came on the mound to replace him. Wade walked the next batter and Mizzou pulled off a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third base.
Terrance Dedrick then took over, replacing Wade with one out. Missouri's Dylan Kelly popped it up far enough for their runner at third to tag up and score the go-ahead run before Dedrick escaped the eighth.
Auburn went down in order in the last two innings to end the game.
"I'm not sure what it was but it was a different team from what I've seen. Whether it was being on television on ESPN or just trying to do too much, we just didn't look like ourselves," Golloway said.
With the loss Auburn goes to 4-3 in the SEC and will look to rebound in the last two games to try to win the series.
"It's going to be a great learning opportunity for us because we haven't lost on a Friday yet so we get to see how we bounce back from a Friday [SEC] loss," Golloway said.
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