MONTGOMERY, Ala. – No. 12 Auburn fell to in-state rival Alabama, 6-3, in the 11th annual Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium on Tuesday night.
Tied 3-3 in the eighth inning, Alabama (20-6, 2-4 SEC) scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and plated two more on a two-RBI double later in the frame.
The loss was just Auburn's (20-5, 4-2 SEC) second in the annual event, and it's first since 2014.
"We just faltered on the mound a little bit," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We have to keep playing. We have to keep going. Richard Fitts did a great job for us tonight. I'm not going to dwell on the negative. We have to continue to try to fight to get some things going."
Fitts was a bright spot for the Tigers on the mound. The Helena, Alabama, native tossed a career-high 3.2 scoreless innings and allowed three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Alabama got out to a lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff walk came back to bite the Tigers after the runner was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored as a single was bobbled in right field.
Auburn evened the score in the top of the fourth as Conor Davis legged out an infield single and Steven Williams, who started the frame with a single, came in to score on a throwing error.
Alabama reclaimed the lead on a pair of bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the inning, but the Tigers got a run back on Rankin Woley's RBI single in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2.
After Will Holland made a strong throw from behind second base to cut a run down at the plate and keep the deficit at one in the bottom of the fifth, Auburn threatened with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the sixth. However, Alabama escaped the inning unscathed on an inning-ending double play.
An inning later, the Tigers came through with a runner in scoring position to tie the game for the second time. Holland drew a leadoff walk and got himself into scoring position with his 11th stolen base of the season. With two outs, Edouard Julien then drove in his 13th run in the last 10 games on a single back up the middle to tie the game, 3-3.
Fitts started the bottom of the eighth inning with a strikeout, but Alabama was able to get to a trio of fellow Auburn relievers to plate the eventual three runs in the frame.
Auburn continues SEC play with a weekend series at South Carolina (16-9, 1-5 SEC). First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Saturday and Sunday will air on SEC Network with game times of 12 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.