BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a back-and-forth game that saw three separate ties, No. 20 Auburn fell in walk-off fashion, 6-5, at UAB Wednesday night.
The loss snapped Auburn’s 10-game winning streak, marking the team’s longest such streak since 2019.
Auburn (11-2) tied the game in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings, but the Blazers (10-2) answered within their next two at-bats each time. Tied 5-5 in the ninth inning, UAB won the game on a two-out RBI single from Wesley Helms.
The two teams traded blows right out of the gate as Auburn started the scoring on solo homers from Eric Snow and Cooper McMurray in the first. However, UAB answered with three runs on four hits in the home half.
Trailing by a run through three innings, McMurray came back around and led off the fourth inning with his second solo home run in as many at-bats, marking his 32nd home run in an Auburn uniform and his fifth career multi-homer game.
Following UAB’s three-run first inning, Andreas Alvarez held the Blazers scoreless in the second and third but allowed two one-out baserunners in the fourth before giving way to Carson Myers in relief. A hit batter loaded the bases and the Blazers reclaimed the lead with a groundout to first.
Auburn answered two innings later as Lucas Steele lifted a single to center field to score Deric Fabian after a one-out single. The Tigers loaded the bases on a walk from Cade Belyeu, but UAB reliever Brendan Conner escaped the jam without further damage thanks to a pick and throw on a hard-hit ground ball to second base.
Alex Petrovic, who entered in relief to start the fifth, allowed a leadoff single to the first batter he faced but retired the next six with four strikeouts to keep the score tied, 4-4, through six innings.
After Petrovic struck out the first batter of the seventh, matching his career high with five strikeouts, UAB again reclaimed its lead with a double, wild pitch and RBI single to right field.
Parker Carlson entered in relief of Petrovic in the seventh inning and retired six of the first seven batters he faced to allow for the Tigers to battle back one more time.
Trailing by a run, Chase Fralick hit a one-out double down the right field line and came in to score on Steele’s RBI double down the left field line. The game marked Steele’s second straight multi-hit and multi-RBI game.
UAB’s final blow came in the bottom of the ninth. A one-out single and two-out walk put the winning run in scoring position, and Helms’ single to left center off Jett Johnston ended the game.
The Tiges return to Plainsman Park to host Old Dominion (3-7) Friday through Sunday.