March 26, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn had its season-best seven-game winning streak snapped on Friday night as it fell to No. 14 South Carolina, 11-5, in front of a season-high 3,458 fans at Plainsman Park. South Carolina scored eight times over the first two innings and held Auburn to just four hits after the second inning as Auburn fell to 16-6, 3-1 SEC.
"We got behind so early in the ball game. We were down 8-2 before we came to bat in the second inning and that makes it tough against a team like South Carolina. They jumped us early," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said.
South Carolina extended its winning streak to 12 games thanks in large part to three-run home runs in both the first and second innings. Parker Bangs delivered the first-inning shot and Adam Matthews the blast in the second as South Carolina improved to 18-4, 4-0 SEC.
Cory Luckie (1-1) was tagged for eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings in the start for Auburn, allowing 10 base runners before being lifted in favor of Jon Luke Jacobs following Matthew's second-inning blast that put South Carolina up 8-2.
Blake Cooper (4-0) took the win for South Carolina, settling down after Auburn scored four over the first two innings. The senior right-hander allowed eight hits total, with six of them coming in the first two innings.
Auburn scored twice on the first on Justin Fradejas' lead-off single and Creede Simpson's second home run of the year to get themselves to within a run at 3-2 after one.
After South Carolina scored five in the second to knock Luckie from the game, Auburn brought two more in as Dan Gamache and Wes Gilmer each walked and scored on singles by Ryan Jenkins and Simpson, respectively. Simpson finished the game with a team-high three RBI for Auburn.
Jacobs settled things down for Auburn after Luckie's rocky start, holding South Carolina off the scoreboard for 3 2/3 innings before a fielding error by Gamache at third with one out allowed a run in. Jacobs finished the night by allowing three runs, only one of which was earned, in 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and three walks.
"Jon Luke did a good job of saving our bullpen today but we allowed them too much early in the game and it's tough to overcome that," Pawlowski said.
Auburn will try and even the series at a game each on Saturday at noon when it sends Jr. LHP Cole Nelson (4-0, 3.67) to the mound opposite South Carolina's Jr. RHP Sam Dyson (1-0, 5.40). The game will air live on CSS and also on ESPN360.com. Fans are reminded that the start time was moved up three hours from its originally published time of 3pm CT.
South Carolina 11, Auburn 5 (Mar 26, 2010 at Auburn, AL)
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South Carolina...... 350 001 110 - 11 12 0 (18-4, 4-0 SEC)
Auburn.............. 220 000 010 - 5 10 3 (16-6, 3-1 SEC)
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Win-Blake Cooper(4-0) Loss-Cory Luckie(1-1) T-2:55 A-3458
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