Auburn dramatically picked up its first SEC win of the season, walking the final batter home Thursday night in a comeback 7-6 win over Georgia in the eleventh inning.
Despite trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, down to the final out and with no runners on base, Auburn busted out some late-game heroics that gave the Tigers a chance to take the game in extras.
The rally began with a double from Kason Howell, and Cole Foster, hit by a pitch, followed suit.
Facing a full count, Bryson Ware hit a ball down the right field line that cleared the bases and put the Tigers down by one run.
“He just took what was given and shot the ball down the right field line,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “That shows you maturity at bat and a ton of believability for how locked in he is and taking what was given in that moment.”
After an Ike Irish intentional walk, Justin Kirby took on the challenge of being the hero, with runners on first and second. He put the ball in play, which was quickly scooped up by Georgia shortstop Sebastian Murillo who overthrew the first baseman, allowing Ware to advance to score the game-tying run.
A failed bunt attempt by Josh Hall sent the Tigers to extras, with Will Cannon set to take the mound for his second inning of work after letting two runs come across in the top of the ninth inning.
The ninth inning did not affect Cannon as he pitched in the 10th and 11th inning, preventing Georgia from recording a base runner.
“I just think every time Will goes out there, he’s learning something, and we talked about the first inning, and then there was an adjustment. I didn’t think his stuff was really set for the second inning,” Thompson said. “But when he came back out for the second, the fastball started playing the changeup, and it was great.”
Cannon picked up his second win of the season, throwing three innings, allowing one hit, one earned run and recording three strikeouts.
After a pair of singles from Irish and pinch hitter Cooper McMurray in the bottom of the eleventh, Chris Stanfield took a walk to load the bases. Carter Wright came up to the plate after being hit by a pitch in his previous at-bat.
Wright walked in the game-winning RBI in four pitches, with the crowd getting louder after each time the pitch was called a ball.
“I just knew I had to trust myself. We always talk about getting a centering breath and just letting everything come to us,” Wright said. “I was looking first-pitch fastball, and he just didn’t throw it there, and once it got 2-0, I just took it all the way.”
Georgia took the early lead scoring three runs in the fourth inning, but the Tigers hung around to earn their first SEC victory of the year, improving to 15-6-1 and 1-3 in SEC play.
Auburn will play game two of the three-game home series on SEC Network on Friday, March 24th, with the first pitch set for 6 p.m. CST.
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Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
