ATHENS, Ga. – No. 11 Auburn sent the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth inning but ultimately dropped the series opener at No. 2 Georgia 4-1 Friday night at Foley Field.
“I think 12 guys were left on base, eight in the first three innings,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “We didn’t play offense. We got a couple of hits, walks, a HBP, but we did not get a big hit. To our guys’ credit, we got a couple of guys on in the ninth and were one big swing away from tying the game.”
Georgia’s four runs scored were tied for the second fewest in a game this season as Auburn’s pitching duo of Samuel Dutton and Cam Tilly combined to strikeout 14 Bulldog hitters.
“I like the effort to finish. I love the process,” Thompson added. “I love the energy that Cam Tilly gave us for four innings. That was one of the best outings of his Auburn career. I thought he was phenomenal. Fourteen-over-three strikeout-to-walk against an offense like that gave us a chance. If you told me they would score four tonight, I would’ve given us a great chance.”
The Tigers (20-6, 4-3 SEC) put eight baserunners aboard in the first three innings on four walks, three hits and a hit batter, loading the bases in the first and third innings. However, a ground ball to second, lineout to left and a popup to second ended each of the three frames.
After Dutton worked a scoreless first with a pair of strikeouts, Georgia (26-2, 6-1 SEC) started the scoring with a leadoff single followed later by a two-run homer with one out in the second.
Dutton responded to retire seven of the next nine batters he faced, but the Bulldogs second two-run home of the game doubled the lead to 4-0 with two outs in the fourth.
Dutton recorded the first out of the fifth inning with his seventh strikeout of the game before giving way to Tilly with a runner on first. The sophomore righty retired Georgia’s three and four hitters on a strikeout and flyout.
The Bulldogs threatened to add to their advantage with two runners in scoring position with an out in the sixth, but Tilly buckled down to escape the inning unscathed. He worked around a leadoff single in the seventh by striking out the next three batters and ultimately matched a career high with seven strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two singles and a walk.
A streak of 12 straight Auburn hitters being retired was snapped with Chris Rembert’s two-out walk in the eighth, his second of the game, but Georgia reliever Kolten Smith ended his 5.0-inning outing with a strikeout.
With Smith out of the game to start the ninth, Auburn drew back-to-back walks off Brian Zeldin, who then gave way to DJ Radtke. Auburn got on the board on Ike Irish’s RBI double to left center to bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended the game.
Due to the high probability of inclement weather in Athens Sunday, the series will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game will be at 11 a.m. followed by the regularly scheduled 4 p.m. contest.