NASHVILLE – No. 21 Auburn fell in an early deficit and couldn't make up the difference as the Tigers ultimately fell to No. 4 Vanderbilt, 12-6, in the series opener at Hawkins Field Thursday night.
After falling behind 7-0 and sitting through a 47-minute rain delay through three innings, Auburn (27-15, 10-9 SEC) scored five unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth frames to cut the Vanderbilt (32-9, 13-6 SEC) lead to two. However, that's as close as the Tigers would get.
"We had ample opportunity but fought all the way until the end," assistant coach Gabe Gross said on the Auburn Sports Network. "There were a ton of things we could've done better and a ton of things we need to get cleaned up, but the intensity of effort was there for nine innings."
Vanderbilt took a lead as a solo home run to start the second inning and ultimately scored three runs in the frame thanks in part to an infield pop-up that fell to the turf for a double.
Auburn threatened in the next at-bat as the Tigers loaded the bases on an error and two hit-by-pitches to start the frame. However, Vanderbilt escaped the inning unscathed on a double play and strikeout.
After a 47-minute rain delay in the bottom of the third inning, the Commodores extended their advantage as four unearned runs scored on a pair of Auburn errors.
The Tigers battled back, though, with four runs in the top of the fifth. Judd Ward got the scoring started with a RBI double and Ryan Bliss drove in a pair on a single back up the middle. Matt Scheffler capped things off with a RBI double later in the frame.
Will Holland's fourth home run of the season cut the Vanderbilt lead to 7-5 in the top of the sixth, but the Commodores scored four runs of their own in the home half to extend the lead to six.
Vanderbilt plated one more unearned run in the bottom of the seventh, and Auburn capped off the scoring in the contest on a RBI single from Scheffler in the ninth.
Ward matched a career high with three hits, including a pair of doubles, and Steven Williams added a pair of hits. Bliss drove in multiple runs in back-to-back contests, while Holland reached base three times and scored two runs.
The middle game in the three-game series is scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.