A walk-off single that snuck under the glove of a diving Deric Fabian gave the Volunteers a 5-4 extra-inning victory, evening up the three-game series after an overnight rain delay.
Game two between Auburn and Tennessee was a phenomenal back-and-forth battle filled with impressive defensive putouts, explosive offensive power, and an untimely weather delay to halt play after regulation before continuing Sunday morning.
Auburn’s bats got off to a hot start in the top half of the first inning to grab the early lead.
Junior stars Ike Irish and Lucas Steele both drove in runs in the opening frame, and righty pitcher Cam Tilly was able to shut down the Volunteers in the home half of the inning to hold a 2-0 lead early.
Tilly’s outing would not last long though as a two-run third inning from the Volunteers forced Butch Thompson’s hand and Carson Myers entered the game in relief with the contest all square at two runs apiece.
Irish delivered again in a big way in the top of the fifth inning as he was able to create chaos on the base paths by stealing two bases and eventually crossing the plate on a wild pitch to retake the lead for Auburn.
In the bottom half of the frame, Myers found himself in a daunting position after allowing back-to-back base hits as the Vols had runners on first and second with just one out. The southpaw pitcher then struck out the next two batters and successfully escaped the jam while holding to a one-run lead.
Tennessee threatened again in the following inning as the Volunteers had a runner on second base with one out, but Myers was able to strike out the next batter to come within one out of getting through six innings. Myers then allowed a single to right field, but an extraordinary putout from Irish at the plate led Myers and the Tigers to end the inning unscathed once again.
The Volunteers' bats were not going down without another fight though, as in the seventh inning two singles to lead off the inning led to Myers' exit. John Armstrong entered in relief and was able to hold Tennessee to just one run, but the game was now tied at three as the eighth inning was set to begin.
For the third frame in a row, Auburn’s batters were retired in order, which set up the Volunteers' offense to take the lead before heading into the final inning of regulation. After allowing two base runners, Butch Thompson made another pitching change and Parker Carlson looked to record the final out of the inning and was able to strike out the first batter he faced in three pitches to send the Tigers into the final inning.
A leadoff double by Eric Guevara set up a promising attempt to retake the lead for Auburn and the Tigers offense capitalized on this with a fantastic hit and run executed by Chase Fralick, putting the away team back on top. After getting the first out in the bottom of the inning, Dalton Bargo hit a solo home run to left field to send the game into extra innings.
Due to unfortunate weather conditions, the game was then suspended until Sunday morning, when the game resumed in the 10th inning. Both teams were shut down in the first inning of extras, but in the bottom of the 11th inning, Tennessee was threatening to walk off the Tigers with back-to-back singles to start the inning. A sacrifice bunt and intentional walk loaded the bases with just one out and the winning run on third base. Freshman Chris Newstrom came up to bat and hit a single underneath the glove of a diving Deric Fabian’s glove to drive in the winning run for the Volunteers.
After an unfortunate ending, Auburn will get set for the rubber match against Tennessee as the Tigers will look to claim the series win in game three. The series finale is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST and will be just seven innings.
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Will is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @willdembo
