AUBURN, Ala. – Conor Davis hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift No. 23 Auburn to a 6-5 win in the decisive game three against No. 17 Ole Miss Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park.
After hitting two home runs Friday, Davis stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th and sent the first pitch he saw from Ole Miss (27-14, 10-8 SEC) closer Parker Caracci through the left side to score Will Holland and send his teammates rushing out of the dugout to meet him past first base.
"I was looking for the fastball," Davis said. "I wanted to get on the attack. A couple of the at-bats earlier, I was just in between a little bit. They were kind of getting me out of my swing, expanding the zone. I know Caracci, especially with the bases loaded and two outs, he was going to come at me with the fastball, so I needed to attack. I went up there with that approach."
Auburn (26-14, 10-8 SEC) entered the bottom of the 10th inning trailing 5-4 and loaded the bases with nobody out before scoring the tying run on a fielder's choice off the bat of Judd Ward. The sophomore left fielder put a two-strike pitch in play, and Matt Scheffler slid into home as the throw from first base brought the catcher off the plate. Scheffler singled up the middle to start the inning, and Holland drew a 12-pitch walk before Ryan Bliss dropped a perfect bunt for a base hit down the third base line to load the bases.
"It was a hard-fought series all weekend," Bliss said. "Every weekend we've been getting closer and closer to our type of game. This weekend, we really put it together. It was a hard-fought game. The fans came out. I loved it, and it was a really good day."
Ole Miss jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the top of the first inning, but Auburn scored three runs on a bases-loaded double from Edouard Julien to take the lead in the bottom off the third. The three-run rally started after the first two batters of the frame were set down.
The Rebels put two runners in scoring position with nobody out in the next at-bat, but freshman lefty Brooks Fuller buckled down and escaped the inning unscathed thanks to a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to center. Fuller ultimately pitched 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and a season-high six strikeouts.
After Ole Miss tied the game on Grae Kessinger's second home run of the afternoon in the top of the fifth, Auburn reclaimed the lead two innings later as Bliss sent a two-out single off Ole Miss reliever Austin Miller back up the middle to score Scheffler from second.
The Rebels tied the game on a solo home run to start the top of the ninth and took a one-run lead on a chopped double down the left field line that scored Kessinger from first in the bottom of the 10th. However, the Tigers ended the game in dramatic fashion with the aforementioned two-run 10th inning.
"I could just feel our crowd," head coach Butch Thompson said on the Auburn Sports Network. "We go to all these venues across the SEC, and I felt our Auburn crowd like never before. I know our players did, too.
"I want our guys to keep learning every lesson playing in the best league in America," Thompson added. "It's a grind and a battle every day, but that was a huge win for us here at home."
Both team's closers factored into the decision as Cody Greenhill (1-1, 2.94) earned his first win of the season. Sophomore left-hander Jack Owen made his first appearance since Mar. 16 and turned in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief with a walk and strikeout.
Offensively, Scheffler and Bliss turned in two hits apiece, while Julien drove in multiple runs for the second time in the series and the 14th time this season.
Auburn travels to Jacksonville State to complete a season series against the Gamecocks Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. The Tigers then travel to Nashville to take on No. 5 Vanderbilt from Thursday through Saturday next weekend.