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A spirit that is not afraid

Survive and Advance: Tigers walk off in extra innings to eliminate Kentucky 4-3

Edouard Julien (10)
Auburn vs Kentucky during the SEC Baseball Tournament on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Hoover, Ala.   
Photo: Wade Rackley /Auburn Athletics
Edouard Julien (10) Auburn vs Kentucky during the SEC Baseball Tournament on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Hoover, Ala. Photo: Wade Rackley /Auburn Athletics

After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts to start the game, freshman Edouard Julien came to the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning with the score tied and a chance to drive home the winning run.

The SEC's leader in RBIs did not disappoint.

Julien laced a walk-off RBI single to the gap in left-center field on a 3-2 pitch to score pinch-runner Cade Evans from second base and give No. 21 Auburn a 4-3 win over Kentucky in 11 innings in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

"I have no words for that. It's unbelievable right now,” Julien said. "I was just looking at the ball and Cade Evans going to home plate. It's probably the biggest hit I've ever had in my life, and I'm happy to have done it for Auburn.”

It was a rocky start for the Tigers, and freshman starting pitcher Jack Owen however.

In the top of the first inning, Owen gave up a solo shot over the left-field wall to the Wildcats' second batter of the game, Kole Cottam, gifting Kentucky an early 1-0 lead.

The Tigers would not trail for long.

After being spiked by a baserunner in the top half of the inning on a pickoff play at second base, Auburn shortstop Will Holland answered and cranked a leadoff solo home run over the visitor's bullpen in left field to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first.

The shortstop's standout day continued on the defensive side of the ball. With runners on first and second in the top of third inning, Holland made a diving stop, on what would have been a single up the middle, to save a run and help turn a 6-4-3 double play to prevent a big inning for the Wildcats.

After walking his third batter of the inning, Owen was pulled from the game, making way for sophomore pitcher Davis Daniel to come in for relief. The Montgomery, Alabama, native was recently moved from the weekend rotation to the bullpen after early season struggles.

Daniel came in and struck out the Wildcats' cleanup hitter, Luke Heyer, on four pitches with two outs and two men on base to end the inning and escape the jam, leaving the score tied at one run apiece.

The Tiger bats came alive in the bottom of the third.

Steven Williams' two-out, two-strike RBI single to right field gave Auburn its first lead of the game. Just a few pitches later, Brett Wright ripped an RBI double to the gap in deep right-center field for his 14th double of the season, giving the Tigers its second run of the inning and a 3-1 lead.

After Kentucky scored on a fielder's choice in the top of the fifth, trimming the lead to one run, both teams went cold for several innings as pitching took center stage. 

Sean Hjelle of Kentucky and Daniel, both of whom came on early in relief, pitched three consecutive scoreless innings, keeping the score deadlocked at 3-2 entering the ninth inning.

Hjelle was on full display despite the loss, and showed why he is a top pitching prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft. The Wildcat reliever held the Tigers scoreless for 7.1 innings, allowing only four hits and striking out nine.

“We couldn’t ever get to him. He was that good,” said Auburn assistant coach Steve Smith, who filled in for Butch Thompson during postgame interviews to allow the third-year head coach to hurry back to Auburn for his daughter's graduation.

Daniel surrendered a leadoff double to start the ninth inning, before being pulled for freshman Cody Greenhill.

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Daniel, like his counterpart, was locked in on the mound as well. The sophomore threw 5.1 innings of relief allowing only two runs on six hits, and while adding six strikeouts.

With the tying runner on second base, Cottam doubled to the gap on a 1-2 pitch off of Greenhill with two outs in the inning, scoring the baserunner from second and tying the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth.

Several scoreless innings later, Julien was mobbed by the rest of his teammates as he was rounding first base after his walk-off single sent the Wildcats home for good.

“He saw something he could drive and got the job done for us. It was big-time. I’m real proud of him,” said Holland.

“It was a really well played, highly competitive game. Obviously, it was an important game on both sides,” Smith said.

Greenhill (4-2) earned the win with 3.0 innings pitched, zero earned runs and two strikeouts. No. 7 seed Auburn improves to 38-19 overall and will face No. 2 seed Ole Miss tomorrow at approximately 1 p.m CT in the second round of the SEC Tournament. 

From this point on, the tournament is double-elimination for the Tigers.

The Rebels swept the Tigers in Oxford, Mississippi a few weeks ago. Tanner Burns is scheduled to start Wednesday, and Casey Mize is said to be available as early as Thursday.


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