May 1, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn offense was held without a hit from the fourth through seventh innings and could only muster two runs on six hits on the night as No. 7 Ole Miss claimed a 9-2, series-opening victory at Plainsman Park on Friday night.
"It was 2-1 game and we were keeping the game close and next thing you know they score seven runs in the middle three innings and all of a sudden the game is out of hand," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "(Drew) Pomeranz threw the ball really well and we weren't able to build any innings off of him and unfortunately that was the biggest difference."
Pomeranz struck out a career-high 10 Auburn hitters, surrendering singles in each of the first three innings before locking down the Auburn bats over the next four to move to 5-2 on the year.
Auburn scored a single run in the third when a Justin Hargett base hit scored Wes Gilmer, who led off the inning with a walk, to knot the game at 1-1 but Pomeranz would sit down 15 of the next 17 hitters he faced, issuing a pair of sixth-inning walks, before allowing a Hargett two-out triple in the eighth. The sophomore lefty allowed just three hits and three walks in six innings, allowing one run.
Rory McKean picked up his first save of the season by throwing the final three innings, allowing Hunter Morris' ninth-inning leadoff double to turn into a run on Bradley Ray's fielder's choice.
Jon Luke Jacobs (3-4) lost for the fourth time in five starts, allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings, striking out five, one shy of his career high. The redshirt-freshman let a second-inning leadoff walk to Matt Smith turn into a run on David Phillips sac fly and a Smith fourth-inning one-out double turn into a 2-1 Ole Miss lead on Phillips' two-out RBI single to right.
Trailing by just a run with two down and one on following a walk to Jordan Henry in the fifth, Ole Miss strung together five consecutive hits (four singles and a double) off of Jacobs to knock the righty out of the game with the score 6-1.
Ole Miss padded its lead with a three-run sixth off of Chris O'Neil as Logan Power doubled in Henry from first and scored on a Matt Snyder single. Snyder then scored as Sean Ray issued back-to-back walks after coming in for O'Neil to load the bases and walk in a run before getting out of the inning with a 6-4-3 double play.
Ray threw the final 3 2/3 innings, a career-high, not allowing a base runner after issuing the two sixth-inning walks, sitting down the final 10 hitters he faced.
Morris' second-inning leadoff single extended his hitting streak to nine games and he has not collected at least one hit in 18 out of his last 20 games.
Auburn will try to even the series at 6pm CT on Saturday when it sends So. LHP Grant Dayton (2-4, 5.06 ERA) to the mound against Ole Miss Jr. RHP Phillip Irwin (5-3, 4.01). The game will air live on CSS.
Ole Miss 9, Auburn 2 (May 01, 2009 at Auburn, AL)
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Ole Miss............ 010 143 000 - 9 11 0 (34-13, 14-8 SEC)
Auburn.............. 001 000 001 - 2 6 1 (27-20, 8-14 SEC)
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Win-Drew Pomeranz(5-2) Save-Rory McKean(1) Loss-Jon Luke Jacobs(3-4) T-2:38 A-2303
