Feb. 15, 2014
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Game Highlights | By Phillip Marshall
AuburnTigers.com
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Sunny Golloway was not happy. He let his players know it loudly and clearly as they gathered in right field at North Charlotte Regional Park on Saturday.
Auburn lost to Ohio State 1-0 on Saturday in the Snowbird Classic. The Tigers left nine runners on base. They had two or more baserunners on in four innings. And they didn't score.
Twice, one-out bunts resulted in runners being thrown out at third base. A hit and run that went awry resulted in Anfernee Grier being thrown out at home. And Golloway fumed. He said he was "as mad as I've been in seven or eight years."
"It is a terrible mistake by a third baseman not come get the ball," Golloway said. "When we had runners on first and second with one out, the third baseman just stayed there. He did not move one time.
Hitters were told, Golloway said, to bunt the ball anywhere but to the pitcher. Twice they bunted it to the pitcher. Another time pinch hitter Daniel Robert popped out to the catcher on a bunt attempt.
"We should have been able to exploit and drag the ball all day long," Golloway said. "They didn't budge him. They expected the pitcher to go all the way over and pick it up. Twice he was able to throw it to third base. All you have to do is bunt the ball with conviction down the third-base line. We tried to exploit that twice and bunted the ball to the pitcher. We did it twice. We popped one up in a crucial situation."
In the third inning, Golloway called for a hit-and-run with Dan Glevenyak at the plate. Glevenyak didn't make contact, Damon Haecker as caught between first and second and Grier was easily thrown out at home.
"The biggest mistake is our baserunner stops," Golloway said. "If he goes in hard, the shortstop has to tag him. If the shortstop tags him, he's safe at home. I don't know why we stopped there. We don't teach that."
Most of the mistakes, Golloway said, were made by freshmen. And he said the blame was on him.
"I'm mad at myself," Golloway said. "I should have put this baseball team in a better position to win. Nothing against Ohio State, but this is a game that disappoints us. It's a game we have to win if we're going to be who we're going to be. If you don't beat people like that you're not going to the NCAA Tournament. It's that simple."
Starter Michael O'Neal pitched six innings, giving up four hits and Ohio State's only run. Trey Ciochran-Gill pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits. Including in Friday's 4-0 win over Indiana State, Auburn pitchers have given up one run in 17 innings.
O'Neal had one shaky inning, walking the first two hitters he faced on eight pitches in the fourth and giving up a run-scoring single. He then retired nine of the last 10 batters he facd.
"We're pitching pretty good," Golloway said. "We've thrown the ball really well except for eight straight balls. He pitched really well. Giving up one run in two games is pretty good. We ought to be able to win those games."
Golloway said he sensed trouble even before Saturday's game started.
"Before the game, you'd have thought we were in a 15-game win streak," Golloway said. "Our guys have to learn. We have too much carryover from old habits. We have to understand, and that falls back on me. There was no intensity."
Auburn managed just five hits against the Buckeyes and does not have an extra-base hit yet this season. Ohio State managed six hits off Auburn's pitchers.
The Tigers play their final game here Sunday at 11 a.m. CST.
Phillip Marshall is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow Marshall on Twitter:
Full recap to follow.