Auburn faced Kentucky on Friday evening for its first home game of SEC play. The Tigers came into Friday's contest looking to grab its first conference win of the 2021 season.
After facing an hour-long rain delay in the fifth inning, Kentucky rained on Auburn’s parade in an extra-inning affair, winning 8-6.
Despite scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings, Auburn suffered its fourth-straight defeat and is now 0-4 in conference play. It’s the worst start to conference play with Butch Thompson at the helm and the worst since 2013 when the Tigers dropped seven straight to begin SEC play.
“We’re going to have to play a little bit better in this league,” Thompson said. “For us to start getting our share in landing the last blow, if we’re trading back and forth, we’re going to have to get it started earlier.”
Cody Greenhill took the mound for the Tigers, beginning his evening with a three-up, three-down inning in just eight pitches. Likewise, Kentucky’s Cole Stupp threw a scoreless bottom of the first, retiring the Tigers in order.
In the top of the second, Kentucky’s T.J. Collett singled on the first pitch he saw to right-center field. Trae Harmon then worked a nine-pitch walk for the Wildcats, putting runners at first and second with no one out.
Coltyn Kessler moved the runners to second and third with his at-bat before Reuben Church scored Collett with a sacrifice fly to center field. It gave Kentucky a 1-0 lead early.
Auburn fired back in the bottom of the frame as Tyler Miller hit a solo home run to lead off the inning. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Miller worked the count to 2-2, fouling off seven pitches before sending one over the right-field fence on the 11th pitch of the at-bat.
Miller’s home run was his eighth of the season, which leads the team.
After a quiet third by both teams, Kentucky had the leadoff man reach for the third straight inning in the top half of the fourth. Greenhill got two quick outs before Church doubled to right field, scoring Collett to give Kentucky a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers didn’t score in the bottom of fourth and after the top of the fifth, heavy rain began to fall in Auburn. It put the game in a rain delay for about an hour before the tarp was removed, and the two teams took the field once again.
Trace Bright took the mound in place of Greenhill at the restart.
Aside from a couple of hits, no team scored again until the bottom of the seventh. Steven Williams’ double to right with two outs put Kason Howell in a position to knock in the tying run for Auburn. He singled up the middle and scored Williams, tying the game at two.
The tie didn’t last for long as John Rhodes homered over the green monster in left for Kentucky in the top of the eighth to reclaim the lead. Kentucky continued to deal damage to Bright and Auburn after a pair of singles put runners on first and second for Church. On an 0-1 count, Church hit one to right that soared over the wall for the second Wildcat homer of the inning.
Church’s three-run blast pushed the lead to 6-2 for Kentucky, giving the Tigers six outs to work with if they were to avoid dropping their fourth straight. Bright’s day was finished after working three innings while allowing four runs, five hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
“It seems to happen so quickly with Trace,” Thompson said. “He put up two scoreless innings and honestly, when you get behind two or three more runs, that three-run homer was huge.”
After a quiet eighth inning offensively by the Tigers, Cam Hill made some noise in the bottom of the ninth with his solo shot to right field.
Down three runs with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Auburn still had its work cut out for itself. Brayton Brown was hit by a pitch, taking first base. Williams was next at the plate and worked a walk on a full count.
It brought up Howell, who represented the tying run. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, the junior center fielder took four straight pitches and headed to first base with a walk, moving up Williams and Brown.
Ryan Bliss was up next with the bases loaded and his team trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth. The shortstop singled into left field, bringing in a run and bringing the Tigers one run closer to a tie.
It was now 6-4, still in Kentucky’s favor.
The next batter, Judd Ward, was hit by a pitch and took first base, which scored Williams. Auburn was one run away from tying the game, with Rankin Woley stepping into the batter's box.
Woley hit a fly ball to right field, which was caught, and Howell tagged up from third base and scored. Auburn scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game.
The Tigers were unable to finish off Kentucky in the ninth, sending the game to extras.
“The guys kept battling,” Thompson said. “To come back and tie that ball game up was pretty special.”
Kentucky reclaimed the lead in the top of the 10th inning. Chase Estep doubled down the left-field line, scoring Kessler, who reached earlier on a single to right field.
Estep crossed the plate himself on an error by Bliss, and the Wildcats led 8-6 heading to the bottom of the tenth.
Brown and Williams reached in the bottom of the tenth for Auburn, but the Tigers were unable to get the last-chance offense going a second time, falling 8-6.
“We continue to give up some runs late,” Thompson said. “We just have to keep fighting and come out here for two nine-inning ball games tomorrow.”
The Tigers will play a doubleheader against the Wildcats on Saturday because of Sunday’s projected forecast. Game one will start at 1 p.m. CST. Game two will begin at 6 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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