March 18, 2011
AUBURN, Ala. - Collin Kuhn's RBI double in the top of the 11th snapped a 5-5 tie and helped the No. 9 Arkansas baseball team defeat No. 24 Auburn, 6-5, in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The loss spoiled a 3-for-6 night for Auburn's Justin Hargett, who doubled and scored a run in the loss.
"We dug ourselves a hole early in the game but our guys battled back," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "In tight games you have to find a way to get the leadoff guy out. We hit a couple of guys and Arkansas did a good job. We just couldn't come up with the hit to put us over the top of win us the ballgame."
Ethan Wallen (0-2) took the loss for Auburn, allowing the game-winning run in the 11th and surrendering the game-tying run in the seventh despite allowing just one hit and a walk over a career-long 4 2/3 innings, striking out five.
Nolan Sanburn (1-0) picked up the win out of the Arkansas (15-2, 1-0 SEC) bullpen, holding Auburn (12-6, 0-1 SEC) scoreless over the final three innings, which included working out of a two-on, two-out jam in the 10th.
Auburn jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Casey McElroy's RBI double to score Hargett from first in the first. The extra-base hit was the first of two for McElroy, who homered with two down in the fifth to put Auburn up 5-4, and also extended his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games.
Arkansas scored single runs in the second and third on a Jarrod McKinney (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI) RBI single and a Kyle Robinson (0-for-5, RBI) RBI groundout, respectively, to take a 2-1 lead.
Arkansas scored twice more in the fourth on back-to-back RBI doubles from Tim Carver (1-for-3, R, RBI) and Kuhn (3-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI) to take a 4-1 lead.
Auburn tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth when Kevin Patterson (1-for-5, 3 RBI) smoked a bases-clearing three-run double to the wall in left-center, scoring Dan Gamache (1-for-3), Wes Gilmer (1-for-5) and Tony Caldwell (2-for-4).
Neither starter made it out of the fifth as Auburn's Cory Luckie worked 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits with two strike outs while Arkansas' DJ Baxendale, who hadn't allowed an earned run coming into Friday night, was tagged for five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Slade Smith threw 2 2/2 out of the Auburn bullpen behind Luckie, retiring the first seven hitters he faced before allowing back-to-back singles to start the seventh and turning it over to Wallen with one out in the inning.
Gilmer's fourth-inning single extended his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games.
Auburn will try to even the series on Saturday at 3pm when it sends Jr. RHP Will Irvin (2-0, 3.93 ERA) to the mound opposite Arkansas Fr. RHP Brandon Moore (2-0, 3.27).
Arkansas 6, Auburn 5 (Mar 18, 2011 at Auburn, AL)
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Arkansas............ 011 200 100 01 - 6 12 1 (15-2, 1-0 SEC)
Auburn.............. 100 310 000 00 - 5 10 1 (12-6, 0-1 SEC)
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Win-Nolan Sanburn(1-0) Loss-Ethan Wallen(0-1) T-2:58 A-2888
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