April 15, 2014
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Auburn's baseball team fought its way back from a six-run deficit to get within one but could not overtake Samford, falling 7-6 on a cold Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The Tigers (21-17) rallied from a 6-0 deficit for four runs in the fifth and one in the sixth but could never get closer than a single run as Samford (22-15) used seven pitchers to hold Auburn at bay.
It was another case of missed opportunities for Auburn as the Tigers left 13 runners on base with nine in scoring position, and a costly error in the outfield with two outs in the third inning led to a four-run outburst for the Bulldogs.
"It's a different day, and it's the same thing," Auburn head coach Sunny Golloway said. "This time, it's an error in the outfield that cost us dearly. This is about the eighth game where we've made an error in the outfield that has cost us the game. I told them I was proud of the way they came back and fought. It's a frustrating day, it's been a frustrating year, and it's not always going to be this way."
Senior Ryan Tella did his best to redeem himself at the plate with a 4-for-5 effort - his second four-hit game of the year - that included an RBI and a run scored, but the rest of the Tiger offense combined for six hits. Damek Tomscha went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Jordan Ebert drove in two runs on a 1-for-4 night, but the timely hits wouldn't come as Auburn left runners in scoring position in seven of nine innings.
Justin Camp (1-5) was charged with the loss after giving up six runs - just two were earned - on four hits in 2 2/3 innings of work. The Auburn bullpen came through with 5.1 innings of one-run relief as Jacob Milliman, Robby Clements, Jay Wade and Trey Cochran-Gill scattered four hits over the remainder of the game.
Samford took advantage of a stiff wind blowing straight out with a pair of extra-base hits in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Tyler Filliben tripled off the top of the wall, driving home Jared Watson from first to make it 1-0, then Drew McWhorter roped a double off the wall to bring home Filliben.
A defensive miscue led to a big inning for the Bulldogs in the third. With two out, Auburn dropped a fly ball in a tricky wind, allowing a run to score from second to make it 3-0. A base hit later, Caleb Bryson ripped a three-run homer to left field to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
But Auburn fought back with a four-run fifth that saw the Tigers send 10 men to the plate. A drag bunt turned into an RBI single for Tella as Brett Binning scored from third to put Auburn on the board. After a wild pitch moved runners to second and third, Ebert lofted a sacrifice fly to center to score Damon Haecker and make it 6-2. Then, a pair of led to two more runs - Tella scored after a misplayed ground ball from Damek Tomscha, and with bases loaded, Connor Short was hit by a pitch to score Daniel Robert and make it 6-4. However, the Tigers would leave the bases loaded with the potential tying run at second base.
Auburn cut it to a one-run game in the sixth when Anfernee Grier walked, took second on a Tella single and scored on an RBI single from Ebert to make it 6-5.
But Samford answered in the bottom of the inning when Tripp Martin led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on a wild pitch to push the Bulldog lead back to two runs at 7-5.
A sixth Auburn run came across in the eighth when Tomscha ripped an RBI single to center field, scoring Ebert from second, but two more runners were left aboard and the Tigers ran into an out at home plate that could have provided the tying run.
Samford's Parker Curry (3-2) was credited with the win, retiring five of the six batters he faced in relief while not allowing a hit. Andres Gracia earned his 11th save.
The Bulldogs were led by a pair of two-hit nights from Tyler Filliben and Heath Quinn.
Auburn returns to Plainsman Park for a three-game SEC series with No. 11 South Carolina, which runs Friday-Sunday. A very limited number of Tiger Terrace/standing room tickets remain for Friday's game, which starts at 6 p.m. Saturday's 4 p.m. game, following the A-Day football game, is sold out. Tickets are available for the Sunday contest, set for a 1 p.m. start. Saturday's game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network, and Sunday's game can be seen on CSS and ESPN3.com.