The Auburn Tigers defeated No. 14 LSU in Game One of a doubleheader, 8-5, and dropped Game Two, 8-6, Saturday at Plainsman Park.
Auburn scored four runs on two hits in the third inning of the first game, giving the home team a 4-0 lead.
LSU starting pitcher Alex Lange threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded to score Cody Nulph for the first run of the game. Lange walked Niko Buentello to load the bases again for Auburn with Blake Logan up to bat.
Logan hit a bases-clearing double, scoring Grier, Ebert and Buentello, to give Auburn a 4-0 lead. LSU responded in the top of the fourth when Jordan Romero doubled down the right field line to score Kramer Robertson and Bryce Jordan, cutting the LSU deficit to 4-2, but Auburn scored two more runs on Joshua Palacios’ home run to right center field.
Auburn starting pitcher Justin Camp (2-1) got the win. Camp allowed two runs and four hits in 5.0 innings pitched. Isaac Yarbrough was credited with the save, and Lange (2-2) took the loss for LSU.
Gabe Klobosits came in to pitch for Camp in the top of the sixth inning. Casey Mize relieved Klobosits in the top of the seventh after LSU loaded the bases.
“Honestly we just kind of pieced it together with Klobosits, Mize,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson. “And Yarbrough came in and got a big out.”
Logan hit another double in the seventh, scoring Grier to put Auburn up 7-2. Grier tied his season high with three runs in the game. Grier went 3-4 in Game One.
“Anfernee had a special first game,” Thompson said.
Auburn’s eighth and final run of the game came on a Grier RBI single up the middle to score Deese.
LSU’s Chris Reid hit a two-run triple to right field, scoring Brody Woofors and Kramer Robertso to kick off the action in Game Two. Both runs were unearned for Auburn’s starting pitcher, Cole Lipscomb.
Anfernee Grier scored the first run for Auburn when Ebert grounded into a double play. LSU’s Romero homered in the fourth and hit an RBI double in the sixth to add to LSU’s lead. A three-run inning in the seventh brought LSU’s lead to 7-1. LSU scored three runs on four hits in the inning.
Auburn fought back and rallied in the bottom of the ninth with four runs. Logan, Buentello and Nulph each had an RBI in the inning.
LSU’s Jared Poche’ (3-3) got the win for LSU. In 6.1 innings pitched, Poche’ allowed five hits and one run. He had six strikeouts. Lipscomb (1-3) took the loss. He allowed eight hits and seven runs, five of which were earned. He struck out five.
Auburn will look to take the series in game three Sunday at Plainsman Park.
“All in all, we want more,” Thompson said. “We’re at the stage where we feel like we’re getting better. We’ve played good baseball this week and we want a little bit more. Hopefully we’ll come out and we’ll get an opportunity, a chance to put ourselves in a position to win our first series of the year tomorrow.”
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