After winning the first two games of the series against Little Rock, Auburn failed to complete the sweep on Sunday, losing 12-6 to the Trojans.
Auburn jumped out to an early lead in the first, scoring three runs on four hits to open up the frame. The top of the order did most of the damage for the Tigers, with Ryan Bliss, Brody Moore, and Steven Williams combining for a 7-for-15 day.
Those three were the only Tigers to cross home plate on the day.
Trace Bright got the start on the bump, earning a spot in the rotation with only two earned runs in his last four outings. After only allowing one hit in the first four innings, the Little Rock offense jumped on him in the fourth. After a couple of singles and a hit batter, the Trojans' Kenny Rodriguez hit a grand slam over the crevice in left-center.
“We really wanted to finish it off today and earn a sweep in the series," said head coach Butch Thompson. “Our pitches just got elevated, and it ended up being a grand slam.”
The Tigers were outhit 14-4 after the fourth inning as Little Rock’s Aaron Barkley came out of the bullpen to silence the Auburn bats. For the Tigers, Hayden Mullins, Joseph Gonzalez, and Cam Hill all pitched in relief
and allowed a combined six runs.
“We went to the bullpen but still couldn’t get out of there,” Thompson said. “It was some of the same feelings we had from last week, and it’s kind of a bitter taste.”
The Tigers will look to bounce back against Lipscomb on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network-plus.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
