NASHVILLE – No. 21 Auburn loaded the bases in each of its last two at-bats, but the Tigers ultimately dropped a 5-2 decision against No. 4 Vanderbilt Friday night at Hawkins Field.
Trailing by three, the Tigers (27-16, 10-10 SEC) loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and ninth, but an inning-ending double play ended the eighth before a strikeout and flyout ended the game.
"We worked hard and loaded the bases again in the ninth, but they got the big hit tonight and we didn't," head coach Butch Thompson said on the Auburn Sports Network. "We hung in there, but couldn't catch them. I thought (Stephen) Scott's big blow and us not getting a hit was the difference. Hopefully tomorrow we can put ourselves in a position and get a lead."
Both starting pitchers factored into the decision as Richard Fitts (3-3, 6.03) suffered the loss while Kumar Rocker (5-4, 4.09) earned the win.
Blake Schilleci was the bright spot on the mound. The senior lefty matched a career high with 3.2 scoreless innings and struck out three batters in relief. Will Morrison also made his second appearance in as many days and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings.
Vanderbilt (33-9, 14-6 SEC) jumped out to an early advantage for the second straight game as a RBI single and three-run home run off the bat of Stephen Scott started the scoring in the bottom of the first.
With Schilleci keeping the Commodores in check in the middle innings, Auburn chipped away with a run in each of the fourth and fifth frames. Ryan Bliss started the fourth with a single to left and advanced to second as the ball was misplayed in right. Bliss later came around to score on a RBI single from Matt Scheffler, his third RBI of the series. Much like the inning prior, Steven Williams started the fifth with a single to left and later cut the Vanderbilt lead to two as he came home on a balk.
After the Commodores manufactured a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh, Auburn threatened with the bases loaded and one out in the final two innings but were left looking for a big hit.
Bliss and Rankin Woley paced the offense with a pair of hits in the game.
The series finale between the Tigers and Commodores is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.