Auburn took on the Ole Miss rebels in the second game of the series on Saturday, and the Tigers came up short after another late push and lost by a score of 7-4.
Auburn started slow, especially from the mound, as it entered the third inning down 5-0. Starting pitcher Justin Camp surrendered 10 hits and three earned runs through five innings. A poor second inning in which the Rebels scored four runs put the Tigers in a whole they couldn’t get out of.
“I tip my hat to Justin [Camp] the way he battled,” said Auburn coach Butch Thompson. “I thought he changed some things and started throwing the fastball with more conviction. His command came back around. He really came back and gave us another three innings after the tough second. We are at a position where it was too much to catch up from, but the offense kept playing.”
Freshman pitcher Daniel Sprinkle entered the game in relief of Camp and pitched two perfect innings as the Tigers tried to make a comeback. Sprinkle entered the game in a jam but was able to retire all seven batters he faced.
Melvin Gray recorded three of Auburn’s nine hits but was never brought home. Jackson Burgreen and Kyler Deese each added RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively. The final two runs were brought in by Jonathan Foster in the eighth inning.
“Melvin [Gray] had a great day," Thompson said. "He’s really back-spinning the ball from right center to left center. What a great bunt. His speed is a great element for our offense. He did a good job for us.”
With today’s win, Ole Miss sealed the series victory and moved to 30-10 on the season. The Tigers, however, drop to 18-21 and 5-12 in SEC play.
The teams will take the field again on Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish the series.
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