Up until the ninth inning, it'd mostly been a forgettable night for Auburn's leading hitter Jordan Ebert.
But then came the bottom of the ninth, where the Tigers (28-25) had the bases loaded and two away for their sophomore, who was 0-for-3 heading into the at-bat.
"I could just see myself hitting a dang gap shot and scoring the winning run," Ebert said. "I just really wanted to walk it off."
A first-pitch ball, however, from UAB reliever Turner Lee gave reason for Auburn head coach Sonny Golloway to rein in his free swinger.
Three pitches and three take signs later, Ebert was on his way to first and Auburn had clinched a mid-week 6-5 victory over the in-state Blazers (34-17).
"I haven't done (a walk-off) here and it's one of those things that's just really special," Ebert said. "For me, I don't walk very much so him giving me take probably helped me out some."
For a team actively battling for its postseason life through injuries and misfortune, Golloway said it was about time his squad had a break go its way.
"Our seniors have had a tough go this year and they've shown a lot of character," Golloway said. "I've never seen so many breaks go against them."
With a SEC Tournament berth on the line during this weekend's series with the LSU Tigers, Golloway said he hopes this can boost his team's confidence and momentum.
"In the seventh inning I told them we just have to hold them right there and we're about due for a walk-off," Golloway said. "Somebody said 'What about scoring five right now?' But that just would've been boring. We needed some momentum going into this weekend."
Auburn scattered ten hits through nine innings Tuesday night, with center fielder Sam Gillikin providing an offensive spark at the bottom of the lineup, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and a RBI.
Six Tigers took the mound against UAB, with Reid Carter and Trey Cochran-Gill each stranding key UAB runners in the third and seventh inning respectively.
Auburn currently is a half-game behind Georgia and one full-game behind Tennessee in the race for the final spot in the SEC Tournament, which will take place in Hoover, Ala. from May 20-25.
Their backs may be against the wall heading into the weekend series with LSU, but Golloway said he knows his team will keep fighting, no matter the odds.
"We've got to fight tooth and nail this weekend and it's going to be Senior Day this weekend so let's hope the breaks go our way this weekend," Golloway said. "I hope things fall the way these kids deserve."
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