After a close game one on Friday, Auburn and Mississippi State returned to Plainsman Park for game two. The Bulldogs came out of game two victorious with an 11-10 win over the Tigers.
“The will is good. It’s the execution, kind of the same thing from the pitching side,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “We got within striking distance, still fighting, and there’s still an opportunity to win a series tomorrow, which is very important for us.”
The Tigers started off strong on the mound, holding the Bulldogs to five scoreless innings, but Auburn’s pitching staff fell apart in the sixth, allowing six runs. Mississippi State grew its lead with five more runs added — three in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Auburn went through six pitchers — reusing Tanner Bauman and John Armstrong from the previous night. The Tigers’ pitching staff recorded nine strikeouts, seven walks, two wild pitches and two hit-by-pitches, giving up 11 runs and 10 hits.
RHP Christian Herberholz got things rolling on the mound, pitching five innings. Herberholz held the Bulldogs to five scoreless frames with four strikeouts, one walk and three hits.
LHP Bauman relieved Herberholz in the sixth, pitching 0.1 innings. Bauman had a wild pitch, two walks and two earned runs. RHP Armstrong relieved Bauman and pitched 0.1 innings with no strikeouts or walks, allowing one hit and two runs – taking the loss (6-2).
RHP Chase Isbell took over after Mississippi State scored four runs in 0.2 innings. Isbell had no strikeouts or walks and allowed two hits and two runs in 0.1 innings.
LHP Drew Nelson replaced Isbell on the mound in the seventh. Pitching one inning, Nelson recorded one strikeout and two walks and allowed one hit and one run.
RHP Chase Allsup relieved Nelson in the eighth, pitching two innings. Allowing three hits and three runs, Allsup had four strikeouts and two walks.
First baseman Cooper McMurray got the Tiger’s offense going with a two-run home run sent over the right field wall in the second — his eighth of the season. McMurray ended the night with a home run, two runs and one hit with two RBIs.
Keeping Auburn’s offense alive, center fielder Kason Howell had a solo home run in the ninth, his fourth of the season, as the Tigers trailed 11-3. Howell came back to record a triple and three RBIs with two outs on the board as Auburn trailed Mississippi 11-10.
The fifth-year led the Tigers’ offense with a home run, a triple, two runs and three hits with four RBIs.
Although Auburn gained momentum in the ninth, it wasn’t enough to steal the win from Mississippi State as Ryan Dyal struck out to end the game.
“We just had lock-down and committed at-bats,” Thompson said. “We got their best closer, and Kason’s big swing and a couple of those were really good at-bats. It was a pretty tall order, but pretty impressive to see our guys fight to finish the ballgame.”
With the series tied, the Bulldogs and the Tigers return for the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. CST. The finale is available on the SEC Network+.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
