After a loss in Game 2, the Tigers fell again, 20-15, in Game 3 against No. 4 Mississippi State, failing to leave Starkville with a series win.
The Tigers had a season-high 21 hits, matching a season-high 15 runs, but that wasn’t enough to beat the Bulldogs. The last time Auburn had more than 21 hits in a conference game was against Tennessee in 2010, when it hit 22.
Mississippi State (22-3, 4-2 SEC) had 21 hits as well, bringing the combined total to 42 hits.
"I was really interested when I woke up this morning to see how we would bounce back, and if we'd leave it on the field today, and we did," said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson. "I thought Gabe Gross was our guy today because he implored and got a lot out of our hitters.”
Eight Tigers had a multi-hit game. Four of those eight had three hits with those players being Edouard Julien, Conor Davis, Ryan Bliss and Kason Howell. Steven Williams and Judd Ward both hit a home run each. Ward drove in a career-high four runs in the game.
The first runs on the board for the Tigers came in the third inning. The inning was highlighted by five straight hits. Auburn (20-4, 4-2 SEC) scored four runs in the frame, giving it a 4-2 lead. Mississippi State responded by driving in three in the bottom of the third to retake the lead at 5-4.
In the fourth, Auburn sent 11 batters to the plate in route to scoring seven runs, getting the 11-5 lead. The inning highlights include a two-run homer from Williams and RBI base hits from Julien, Davis and Ward.
In the third and fourth innings combined, Auburn scored 11 runs on 12 hits while sending 21 batters to the plate. Mississippi State kept fighting, scoring a run in the bottom of the fourth and four runs in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 11-10.
Auburn tried to give itself some more wiggle room by scoring another run in the top of the sixth, but the Bulldogs plated three on a bases clearing double from Rowdey Jordan. Mississippi State retook the lead at 13-12
Ward hit a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to give Auburn back the 15-13 lead. The Bulldogs’ response was scoring two in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game. Mississippi State scored five runs in the bottom of the eight to get the final score of 20-15 for the Bulldogs’ win.
With all of the back-and-forth hitting, the Tigers had to use seven pitchers in the game. The loss was given to Cody Greenhill (0-1, 4.05). Mississippi State used six pitchers. The win was awarded to Cole Gordon (3-0, 4.20).
Auburn next plays Alabama (19-6, 2-4 SEC) in the annual Capital City Classic in Montgomery, Alabama, on Tuesday night. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. CST.
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