BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After Sonny DiChiara's game-tying home run in the eighth, Kentucky led off the ninth with back-to-back homers to beat No. 20 Auburn 3-1 Wednesday at the Hoover Met, eliminating the Tigers from the SEC Tournament.
"We laid every chip out on the table to give us a chance to win," head coach Butch Thompson said.
The Tigers took momentum into the final frame after defense saved the day, then DiChiara made them pay.
After a relay throw to the plate kept the Tigers within a run to end the top of the eighth, DiChiara crushed a game-tying solo homer to left on a full count with two outs in the bottom of the inning, the 18th home run of the season for the SEC's Co-Player of the Year.
Kentucky's Oraj Anu led off the ninth with a homer to center, then Adam Fogel followed with a blast to left off Auburn's Blake Burkhalter (4-2), who absorbed the defeat.
The Tigers put the potential tying runs on base with no outs in the bottom of the ninth when Brody Moore led off with a single up the middle and Kason Howell was hit by a pitch.
A popup sandwiched between a pair of strikeouts ended a game that saw Auburn go 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
"There's a good resilience in our bunch," Thompson said. "We needed that one big hit and it really didn't happen until the eighth inning. We've got to get back to some sharp, clean offense. It's good to have something to work toward the next few days."
Starting pitcher Carson Skipper threw three scoreless innings, striking out a season-high seven while allowing only one hit.
"Going into the game, that was the job we had discussed, for me to come out and open it up and then pass the baton along," Skipper said. "Not a ton of offense by either team, but at the same time there's still room for improvement."
After working around a one-out double and a walk in the first, Skipper struck out the side in the second, part of a string of six straight strikeout victims that spanned the last out of the first inning until the second out in the third.
Kentucky starter Sean Harney held the Tigers hitless until Garrett Farquhar singled up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the third. Blake Rambusch followed with an infield single, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Trace Bright relieved Skipper to start the fourth, benefiting from a 9-3 putout when right fielder Bobby Peirce fielded a line drive on one hop and fired to DiChiara at first to beat a sliding Daniel Harris.
The Wildcats scored first when Chase Estep walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ryan Ritter's single to lead 1-0 in the fourth.
Auburn threatened in the bottom of the inning when Peirce led off with a double to the right-center gap and Brooks Carlson followed with a walk, but they were unable to advance.
Bright worked 2.2 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits.
Carson Swilling relieved Bright in the sixth with two outs, stranding a runner on second by striking out Ritter. Swilling recorded one out in the seventh before a single and walk brought in Burkhalter with two on and one out. The SEC saves leader struck out Jacob Plastiak and induced a grounder to third to keep the Tigers within a run.
Harney shut out the Tigers for seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out five before giving way to Daniel Harper after a 2-0 count to Farquhar leading off the bottom of the eighth.
Harney retired 10 straight from the fourth inning until Kason Howell's infield single with one out in the seventh.
Kentucky's Hunter Jump led off the eighth with a double down the line in left, but Burkhalter fielded an attempted sacrifice bunt and threw him out at third for the inning's first out.
After a popup for the second out, Ritter singled to center, but Howell and Farquhar's relay throw to catcher Nate LaRue beat Harris at the plate trying to score from first, ending the inning, setting the stage for DiChiara's dramatic homer minutes later.
With hopes of hosting a regional, Auburn (37-19, 16-13) will await Monday's release of NCAA Tournament pairings during the selection show beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Kentucky (31-24) advances to the double-elimination portion of the event to play LSU.
"I know we're in a regional," Thompson said. "I absolutely think we've done enough (to host). We've maintained a top 10 RPI nationally out of 301 schools for a prolonged period of time. Three games over .500 (in the SEC), we've played good baseball, so absolutely that would be my wish and desire."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
No. 20 Auburn ties it late, ultimately falls in SEC Tournament opener
