OXFORD, Miss. – Trailing by eight runs in the middle innings, No. 2 Auburn scored nine runs in its last four at-bats but ultimately fell 15-11 in game two at No. 22 Ole Miss Friday night at Swayze Field.
Trailing 10-2 through five innings, the Tigers scored two runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and three in the ninth to make things interesting. However, the deficit was ultimately too much to overcome.
Auburn (37-17, 16-13 SEC) ended up outhitting Ole Miss (37-17, 16-13 SEC) 15-13 but went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position compared to the Rebels’ 7-for-10 and stranded 12 runners.
“We outhit these guys tonight. We didn’t quit, and we got their closer in the game,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “There were absolutely some positive things that happened with our offense late, especially the seventh, eighth and ninth innings of the ballgame, that will hopefully benefit us tomorrow. Hopefully we can take advantage. I respect our guys. We were much more connected tonight.”
Ike Irish homered twice for the fourth time this season and added a third hit to go along with three RBI to lead the offensive effort that included each of the first six batters in the lineup collecting multiple hits.
“We have to store this in our memory to know that we have a great offense and we can come back,” Irish said. “Although it sucks to lose, there’s so many lessons to be learned. It’s just a regular season game, but with that being said, when we play in the postseason we know that we have the ability to come back no matter what. We were down nine tonight and we came back and made it a game late. That’s all you have to ask is to come back and make it a game. I was proud of our guys tonight.”
Ole Miss jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, but Auburn chipped away with two-out runs in the second and third innings to make it a one-run game. Chase Fralick doubled over the head of the left fielder with Bub Terrell on the move from first to plate the Tigers first run in the second. Irish followed it up the next inning with a solo home run over the visitor’s bullpen in left.
Samuel Dutton retired six straight Rebels from the end of the first through the first out of the third, but the Rebels answered Auburn’s two runs with four in the bottom of the third. Five straight batters reached with one out on a walk, three singles and a hit batter, scoring a pair of runs, and a two-out, two-run single made it 7-2 through three.
Auburn threatened in the top of the fourth by loading the bases with one out, but Ole Miss went to the bullpen, and reliever Mason Morris got a strikeout and groundout to get out of the inning unscathed.
The Rebels continued their productivity at the plate, scoring two more in the fourth and another after the first two batters were retired in the fifth to extend their lead to 10-2.
Eric Snow hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the top of the sixth, but Ole Miss answered and then some with a three-run home run from Judd Utermark in the bottom of the inning, marking his second home run of the game.
The Tigers added two more in the seventh to make it a 13-6 game, scoring both runs with two outs, but left the bases loaded. Terrell singled the other way to score Eric Guevara after a leadoff single, and Snow drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning.
Auburn added two more two-out runs on Cooper McMurray’s 14th home run of the season, traveling 418 feet off the batter’s eye in center field to cut the deficit to 13-8.
Ole Miss answered Tigers two-run homer with one of its own in the bottom of the eighth, extending its lead to seven.
Chris Rembert and Guevara traded back-to-back two-out doubles to score again in the ninth, and Irish hit his second home run of the game to make it a four-run game. McMurray singled to extend the inning but a groundout to the shortstop ended the game.
The series finale between the Tigers and Rebels is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT.