After a two-home-run night in Friday’s game, Conor Davis continued his offensive success against No. 17 Ole Miss by hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th as No. 23 Auburn won Game 3, 6-5, securing its first series victory this month.
After Ole Miss (27-14, 10-8 SEC) took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 10th, Matt Scheffler scored on an error to tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom half of the inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Davis stepped up to the plate. He hit a single to the left side on the first pitch he saw from Rebels’ closer Parker Caracci, and Will Holland scored to get the Tigers the 6-5 win.
“I was looking for the fastball,” Davis said. “I wanted to get on the attack. A couple of the at-bats earlier, I was just in between a little bit. They were kind of getting me out of my swing, expanding the zone. I know Caracci, especially with the bases loaded and two outs, he was going to come at me with the fastball, so I needed to attack. I went up there with that approach.”
Ole Miss earned an early lead in the game with a solo homer in the top of the first inning. Auburn (26-14, 10-8 SEC) answered in the bottom of the third with three runs off of a bases-loaded double from Edouard Julien.
Ole Miss’ Grae Kessinger hit his second home run of the night in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. Auburn pitcher Brooks Fuller was pulled from the game in the inning. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in 4.2 innings pitched, striking out out a season-high six batters.
The Tigers regained the lead in the seventh on a single from Ryan Bliss that scored Scheffler. Ole Miss tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the ninth. The Rebels took the lead in the top of the tenth on a double.
“It was a hard-fought series all weekend,” Bliss said. “Every weekend we've been getting closer and closer to our type of game. This weekend, we really put it together. It was a hard-fought game. The fans came out. I loved it, and it was a really good day.”
In the bottom of the tenth, the Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out and scored the tying run on a fielder’s choice hit by Judd Ward. The throw from first to home was off the plate, which allowed Scheffler to get the tying run across the plate. Then Davis hit his single to finish the game for the Tigers.
“I could just feel our crowd,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thomson. “We go to all these venues across the SEC, and I felt our Auburn crowd like never before. I know our players did, too”
While Ole Miss closer Caracci earned the loss, Auburn’s closer, Cody Greenhill, earned his first win of the season. Jack Owen made his first appearance since March 16, and he pitched 2.1 innings of relief.
“I want our guys to keep learning every lesson playing in the best league in America,” Thompson said. “It's a grind and a battle every day, but that was a huge win for us here at home.”
Next, Auburn will travel to Jacksonville State on Tuesday, with game time set for 6 p.m. CST. On Thursday through Saturday, the Tigers will face off against No. 5 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.
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