STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 12 Auburn fell in an early deficit for the second straight day but couldn't make up the difference Saturday as the Tigers fell to No. 4 Mississippi State, 15-2, at Dudy Noble Field.
Leading by six thanks in part to plating five runs in the top of the first, the Bulldogs capped off the game with seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to make the score more lopsided than would've appeared.
The loss marked Auburn's (20-3, 4-1 SEC) first in a month, and the team's 15-game winning streak was tied for the third longest in program history.
"You can't let this game carry over to tomorrow," assistant coach Steve Smith said. "Hitting is contagious, and it got going for them a little bit today. They certainly will walk-out there tomorrow, offensively, with some confidence. I think the first inning tomorrow is big for us to go out there, and get a stop early-on in the ballgame."
Auburn fell behind in the first inning for the second straight day as Mississippi State jumped out to a 5-0 lead on five hits and a pair of Auburn fielding miscues in the opening frame.
The Tigers chipped into the lead when Conor Davis and Ryan Bliss led off the second inning with a single and a double, respectively. Judd Ward then drove in the team's first run on a grounder to second.
Freshman lefty Brooks Fuller finished the first inning in relief and held the Bulldogs scoreless in the second through fourth frames. However, Mississippi State was able to extend its advantage to 7-1 with a two-RBI single in the fifth.
Fuller matched a season high with 3.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Peyton Glavine relieved Fuller with a runner on in the fifth and allowed one run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched.
After Mississippi State scored in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers scratched a run on a single, double and sacrifice fly from Steven Williams in the top of the eighth to make it an 8-2 ballgame.
However, the Bulldogs answered with seven runs on six hits in the bottom of the frame to get to the final score of 15-2.
The rubber match between the Tigers and Bulldogs is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Auburn will send left-hander Elliott Anderson (4-0, 0.46) to the mound opposite Mississippi State's Keegan James (2-1, 2.89).