AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn scored a run in the ninth and put the tying run in scoring position but ultimately dropped its midweek matchup vs. Alabama State 3-2 Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.
After allowing an unearned run on an error with two outs in the top of the ninth that extended Alabama State's lead to two, Cade Belyeu started the bottom of the inning with a triple to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly from Chris Stanfield to make it a 3-2 game. Eric Guevara and Mason Maners then drew back-to-back, two-out walks, but a flyout to right ultimately ended the contest with the tying run in scoring position.
"It felt like offensively we were getting to them (late), but too much length out of the starter, too much length out of the first reliever. I think it helped them get to the finish line," head coach Butch Thompson said. "The bats were not competitive enough, for sure, but it was an accumulation of a lot of different things."
The loss marks Auburn's first midweek loss of the season, having won seven straight while outscoring the opponent 60-19 to start the season.
Christian Herberholz made his fourth consecutive midweek start and turned in a season-high 5.0 scoreless innings with no walks and four strikeouts. He retired 10 straight batters from the end of the second through the fifth inning to end his outing.
"The positive is the bounce back from Christian Herberholz," Thompson added. "He did a nice job for five innings."
Auburn (18-14) threatened to start the scoring with the bases loaded in the third, but a flyout to center field ended the inning. Just six months removed from ACL surgery, Guevara collected his first career hit with a one-out single to left field earlier in the frame.
The Tigers manufactured a run in the fourth to jump out to a 1-0 lead. Gavin Miller started the inning with a hit-by-pitch, moved up on a pair of groundouts and scored on a passed ball to take a 1-0 lead.
After Tanner Bauman entered in relief of Herberholz and struck out three in a scoreless sixth, Alabama State (14-16) tied the game with a solo homer off Zach Crotchfelt to start the seventh and took a 2-1 lead on a solo homer to start the eighth.
Hayden Murphy recorded the last three outs of the eighth thanks to an inning-ending double play but walked the first batter of the ninth, who ultimately came in to score an insurance run on a two-out error, before being replaced by John Armstrong.
Belyeu's triple to start he ninth marked his fourth straight game with an extra-base hit, and four other players scattered four singles in the contest.
The Tigers continue Southeastern Conference play with a three-game series against No. 8 Kentucky (27-4, 11-1 SEC) Thursday through Saturday at Plainsman Park.
Ninth-inning rally falls short vs. Alabama State
