In a doubleheader due to severe weather on Thursday, Auburn baseball split games one and two of its series with Kentucky. The Wildcats took the first and the Tigers recovered to even the series in game two.
"We did do a good job after a lackluster first game, and we started playing Auburn baseball," said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson.
Game 1
Held to its lowest score since opening day, No. 18 Auburn baseball fell to Kentucky 5-1 in game one of the season’s closing series.
Thompson often emphasizes the importance of the offense putting together a string of hits, but the Tigers simply could not link them up. The team combined for just four hits through the game.
The Auburn bats showed flashes of success early, particularly when the bases loaded in the top of the first inning. Sonny DiChiara, Blake Rambusch and Bobby Peirce reached, but a pair of strikeouts left all three stranded.
The Kentucky defense made the difference, ultimately stranding 10 Auburn runners to match 10 strikeouts from the pitching staff. A big piece of the unranked team's resume: the Wildcats are the only team to win a series against No. 1 Tennessee this season.
Starting pitcher Mason Barnett took the loss, going 3.1 innings and giving up four runs. He struck out five of the 17 batters he faced before his day ending just into the fourth.
Auburn had a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth, but another inning-ending pair of outs kept the Tigers off the board.
Coming in to relieve Barnett, freshman John Armstrong gave up the fourth run of the day on an RBI double, but it was attributed to Barnett because he allowed the double that put the scoring runner on base.
Auburn’s last true effort came in the sixth. Following the first out, Kason Howell and Mason Land singled back-to-back. Batting after the second out, Garrett Farquhar doubled to score Howell for the only Tiger run of the day.
Third to the mound for Auburn, Tommy Sheehan went two innings and gave up the final run of the day in the sixth. The run was his only allowed hit and he struck out one of the eight batters he faced.
Transfer Chase Isbell pitched a scoreless pair of innings to close the game. He allowed two hits and struck out three in just eight batters to hold the Wildcats to a lead of four.
Game 2
Despite having just over an hour to make adjustments following the offensive struggles of game one, Auburn rebounded to earn a 6-3 win and even the series.
The win, which was Auburn’s SEC-leading 15th away from home, was the Tigers’ 20th comeback victory this season.
After only getting four hits in game one, Thompson made some changes to the Auburn batting order - including moving Rambusch to leadoff and batting Peirce third, with Brooks Carlson batting fourth.
In addition, Farquhar, who had Auburn’s only RBI of the first game, was moved up to seventh in the lineup.
Auburn starter Trace Bright, who earned the win to improve his record to 3-4, pitched five innings and allowed five hits and two runs. Bright struck out five and did not issue a walk.
The struggles with runners on base that plagued the Tigers in the first contest continued early in the second game when they stranded two runners in each of the first two innings.
The Tigers, just as in game one, fell behind early after Bright gave up a solo homer in the second to open up the scoring. Kentucky pulled ahead, but the Wildcats’ lead did not last long.
In the third inning, 11 innings of frustration came to an end when Kason Howell doubled into right-center field, scoring DiChiara and Brody Moore to put Auburn up 2-1 - the Tigers’ first lead of the day.
Then, Thompson’s lineup adjustments began to pay off as Farquhar batted home Howell to put extend Auburn’s lead.
The benefits of the lineup change continued in the fourth inning when Peirce tripled to score DiChiara, who had reached on a walk. Carlson then singled home Peirce and Auburn’s lead was 5-1.
After the two-inning outburst, the Auburn bats fell silent again, as the next 10 Tigers were retired in order.
During this quiet stretch, however, Auburn’s pitching kept the Wildcats at bay - with Bright only giving up one additional run in the bottom of the fourth.
After Bright was pulled with no outs in the sixth inning, Auburn relievers Carson Swilling, Chase Allsup and Blake Burkhalter continued the Auburn bullpen’s recent success, allowing a combined three hits and one run - a seventh-inning homer given up by Allsup.
Auburn was able to get the run back when Moore brought home Peirce on a bunt single in the eighth inning.
Burkhalter preserved the win by recording a two-inning save, his SEC-leading 13th of the season.
The split of the doubleheader drastically increases the magnitude of the series finale on Saturday. With a win or an LSU loss, Auburn will clinch a bye in the SEC Tournament.
"We just keep on working as hard as we can, so we'll go rest up and come back out to try to get the win tomorrow," Farquhar said.
With its sights set on a national seed in the NCAA Tournament, Auburn will start Joseph Gonzalez in the critical culmination of the regular season. Gonzalez has a record of 6-2 with an ERA of 2.98.
"We wanted that game right there to set us up things for Joseph [Gonzalez] to have a nice outing tomorrow," Bright said.
The first pitch from Kentucky Proud Park is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on the SEC Network+.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
Callie Stanford, junior in communications, is the sports editor at the Auburn Plainsman. Currently a junior, she has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.
Twitter: @Stanford1Callie
