With hopes of securing their third conference win, the Auburn Tigers’ (18-14, 2-11 SEC) offensive rally at the bottom of the ninth fell just short of the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats (27-5, 12-1 SEC) in game one of the series.
“Personally, it hurts when you go through stretches of this game, and you can’t make a difference,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “I thought the guys still did a good job of seeing the strike zone, and the guys that pitched, I thought we did some decent things there. But they gotta walk through this one, and somebody’s got to do a little bit more to make a pitch, get a hit or make a play at game time.”
Although Kentucky maintained the lead for most of the game, Auburn kept the Wildcats within reach. However, it wasn’t enough to secure the win.
The Tigers added five runs, nine hits, three doubles and five RBI in 35 at-bats, while the Wildcats had six runs, 10 hits, three doubles, a home run and four RBIs in 36 at-bats.
The Wildcats wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. In the first, third baseman Mitchell Daly’s single sent catcher Devin Burkes home to score. Then, in the next at-bat, first baseman Ryan Nicholson’s single to right field sent designated hitter Nick Lopez home to make it a 2-0 game.
Kentucky’s offense struck again, this time in the third. After third baseman Gavin Miller’s error, Burkes and Daly were able to score, extending the lead.
Auburn’s offense entered the bottom of the fourth determined to even the playing field.
Coming off a slump, second baseman Deric Fabian doubled his ball deep into right-center field, sending right fielder Cade Belyeu and left fielder Mason Maners home to make it a 4-2 game.
“But Fabian kept working and got back in there, where he had two really good at-bats for us tonight,” Thompson said.
The young catcher, Cale Stricklin, stepped up to the plate with two runners in scoring position and singled his ball deep into right, center field, so center fielder Chris Stanfield and Fabian could tie the game — Stricklin’s first RBI as a Tiger.
“He can really do all the extra nuances and everything that a team, like Kentucky, brings to the table, so we thought that he was a good matchup and had all the skills necessary,” Thompson said. “That was a big hit for him. That’s one of many hopefully moving forward.”
After three scoreless frames, Kentucky’s offense found its stride, thanks to Nicholson hammering his ball over the right field wall to secure a two-run homer and snagging the lead back.
The Tigers’ offense gained some traction in the eighth. With two runners on base, pinch hitter Christian Hall singled his ball to shallow center field, so Miller could score and make it a one-run game.
Returning to the top of the Tigers’ lineup, the Wildcats managed to contain Auburn’s offensive surge at the bottom of the ninth and solidified their win with a double play.
Facing 40 total batters, Thompson’s pitching staff collected three strikeouts, three walks and one hit-by-pitch, while allowing 10 hits and six runs – four earned. Comparatively, Nick Mingione’s staff had nine strikeouts, five walks and one wild pitch, allowing nine hits and five runs.
Right handed pitcher Dylan Watts startedon the mound for the Tigers. Pitching for two and a third innings, Watts recorded one strikeout, one walk and one hit-by-pitch, allowing five hits and four runs.
Earning the loss, LHP Carson Myers relieved Watts in the third and pitched four and a third innings, keeping Kentucky to three scoreless frames. Myers (2-3) logged two strikeouts and two walks, allowing five hits and two runs.
“I had the confidence to bring him in there tonight for sure,” Thompson said. “We’ve talked about the shutdowns, and he was part of that when we scored the four runs to come right back.”
Right handed pitcher Will Cannon took over in the sixth and pitched two and a third innings, allowing no hits or runs.
The Tigers return to Plainsman Park for game two of the series against No. 8 Kentucky at 6 p.m. CST on Friday, April 12. The game will be aired on the SEC Network+ and Wings 94.3 FM. With hopes of securing their third conference win, the Auburn Tigers (18-14, 2-11 SEC) kept the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats (27-5, 12-1 SEC) close on the stat sheet, but their offensive rally at the bottom of the ninth fell short.
“Personally, it hurts when you go through stretches of this game, and you can’t make a difference,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “I thought the guy still did a good job of seeing the strike zone, and the guys that pitched, I thought we did some decent things there. But they gotta walk through this one, and somebody’s got to do a little bit more to make a pitch, get a hit or make a play at game time.”
Although Kentucky maintained the lead for most of the game, Auburn kept their opponents within reach. However, it wasn’t enough to secure the win.
The Tigers added five runs, nine hits – three doubles – and five RBIs in 35 at-bats, while the Wildcats had six runs, 10 hits – three doubles and one home run – and four RBIs in 36 at-bats.
The Wildcats wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. In the first, third baseman Mitchell Daly’s single sent catcher Devin Burkes home to score. Then, in the next at-bat, first baseman Ryan Nicholson’s single to right field sent designated hitter Nick Lopez home to make it a 2-0 game.
Kentucky’s offense struck again, this time in the third. After third baseman Gavin Miller’s error, Burkes and Daly were able to score, extending the lead.
Auburn’s offense entered the bottom of the fourth determined to even the playing field.
Coming off a slump, second baseman Deric Fabian doubled his ball deep into right-center field, sending right fielder Cade Belyeu and left fielder Mason Maners home to make it a 4-2 game.
“But Fabian kept working and got back in there, where he had two really good at-bats for us tonight,” Thompson said.
The young catcher, Cale Stricklin, stepped up to the plate with two runners in scoring position and singled his ball deep into center, right field, so center fielder Chris Stanfield and Fabian could tie the game. This is Stricklin’s first RBI as a Tiger.
“He can really do all the extra nuances and everything that a team, like Kentucky, brings to the table, so we thought that he was a good matchup and had all the skills necessary,” Thompson said. “That was a big hit for him. That’s one of many hopefully moving forward.”
After three scoreless frames, Kentucky’s offense found its stride, thanks to Nicholson hammering his ball over the right field wall to secure a two-run homer and snagging the lead back.
The Tigers’ offense gained some traction in the eighth. With two runners on base, pinch hitter Christian Hall singled his ball to shallow center field, so Miller could score and make it a one-point game.
Returning to the top of the Tigers’ lineup, the Wildcats managed to contain Auburn’s offensive surge at the bottom of the ninth and solidified their win with a double play.
Facing 40 total batters, Thompson’s pitching staff collected three strikeouts, three walks and one hit-by-pitch, while allowing 10 hits and six runs – four earned. Comparatively, Nick Mingione’s staff had nine strikeouts, five walks and one wild pitch, allowing nine hits and five runs.
RHP Dylan Watts started on the mound for the Tigers. Pitching for 2.1 innings, Watts recorded one strikeout, one walk and one hit-by-pitch, allowing five hits and four runs.
Earning the loss, LHP Carson Myers relieved Watts in the third and pitched 4.1 innings, keeping Kentucky to three scoreless frames. Myers (2-3) logged two strikeouts and two walks, allowing five hits and two runs.
“I had the confidence to bring him in there tonight for sure,” Thompson said. “We’ve talked about the shutdowns, and he was part of that when we scored the four runs to come right back.”
RHP Will Cannon took over in the sixth and pitched 2.1 innings, allowing no hits or runs.
The Tigers return to Plainsman Park for game two at 6 p.m. CST on Friday, April 12. The game will be aired on the SEC Network+ and Wings 94.3 FM.
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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
