April 12, 2008
AUBURN, Ala. -
Auburn and South Carolina combined to hit six home runs Saturday afternoon but it was Phil Disher's second home run of the game, a two-run job in the eighth, that put South Carolina in front for good as Auburn fell, 8-6, at Plainsman Park.
Matt Hall (1-for-4) and Hunter Morris (2-for-4) each cracked leadoff home runs for Auburn (22-14, 6-8 SEC) while Disher (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Reese Havens (2-for-4, BB) and Parker Bangs (2-for-4, 2 R) did the same for South Carolina (24-10, 8-6 SEC).
Auburn took a 2-0 lead off of South Carolina starter Will Atwood as Joseph Sanders (1-for-3) roped a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the first. Morris then smoked his team-leading seventh home run of the year into the K Corner to lead off the fourth, giving Auburn a 3-0 lead.
Auburn starter Cory Luckie was very good for Auburn in the early going, allowing a leadoff single to the first hitter he faced before retiring 12 straight before Disher's leadoff homer in the fifth that brought South Carolina to within 3-1.
South Carolina tied it up on the sixth off of Luckie as Havens led off the inning with a home run and then James Darnell (1-for-5, R) drove in a run with a RBI groundout.
Auburn answered with two runs of its own to reclaim the lead at 5-3 as Hall led off with his second home run of the year, a liner over the wall in left. Mike Bianucci (1-for-3, BB, 2 R) would score two batters later when USC rightfielder Harley Lail couldn't pickup Morris' double to the corner in right cleanly, allowing Bianucci to score from first.
Bangs (2-for-4) led off the seventh with his first career home run, knocking Luckie out of the game after 6.0 innings and four runs on seven hits, and South Carolina claimed the lead for the first time in the eighth as Disher homered off of eventual loser Taylor Thompson (2-3) with a man on and two down.
South Carolina tacked on two runs in the ninth, scoring on a squeeze play with the bases loaded and then scoring on a wild pitch.
Auburn would score a run in the ninth on Trent Mummey's (2-for-4, R) RBI single which brought the winning run to the plate but Bangs got Matt Hall to strikeout swinging with runners on the corners to end the game and earn his first career save.
"We didn't have a ton of hits, but anytime you can score six runs on seven hits you have played pretty good offense," Auburn Head Coach Tom Slater said.
Atwood (4-1) picked up the win, going 7.0 innings, allowing five runs on six hits, striking out six before turning it over to Bangs, who allowed one run on one hit and a walk in 2.0 innings.
Thompson was tagged for four runs on three hits and two walks in 2.1 innings.
Hall's home run in the sixth extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
Auburn will try and salvage the final game of the series on Sunday when it sends Fr. RHP Bradley Hendrix (1-0, 4.95 ERA) to the hill while South Carolina counters with So. RHP Blake Cooper (3-3, 3.32 ERA). The games will air locally on 97.7 FM as well as Sirius channel 140.