AUBURN, Ala. – No. 10 Auburn jumped out to a six-run lead in the first inning and never looked back in a 12-5 win in the series opener against Kentucky Friday night at Plainsman Park.
The team’s 12 runs on 15 hits were both the most in a Southeastern Conference game this season, and the win marked Auburn’s ninth straight series-opening win in SEC home series dating back to 2024.
“The guys were ready to play,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “Some things fell in. A few more balls were put in play. That was good to see tonight. Five guys with multiple hits. This is going to be a great series. Kentucky keeps competing. I expect nothing less. To their credit, we had to use a couple bullpen pieces, but we found a way to pull it out.”
Five players in Auburn’s lineup collected multiple hits, led by three apiece from Ethin Bingaman and Eddie Madrigal. The two joined Brandon McCraine as the bottom three batters in the order Friday and went a combined 8-for-11 with five runs and six RBI.
“Seeing the ball in the zone. That’s my one goal,” Bingaman said of what led to his SEC-high three hits. “That’s what I always try to do. I was ready for the heater today.”
“I was grateful for the opportunity,” Madrigal added. “We have hitters left and right and talent up and down our lineup. We have a lot of great pieces. When everything clicks, we’re hard to beat. It was great to put up a crooked number in the first inning.”
Auburn (23-10, 7-6 SEC) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard with six runs on four hits, three Kentucky errors, two walks and two wild pitches in the bottom of the first. Chase Fralick started the scoring with a single, and Auburn took advantage of a pair of errors to extend the inning. Bingaman drew a bases-loaded walk, and Madrigal drove in a pair on a two-out single to make it 4-0. Another run scored on a wild pitch, and McCraine capped off the scoring in the frame with a two-out single up the middle.
The Tigers tacked on two more in the second as four straight batters reached with two outs. Bingaman drove in a pair on a single to right field, his second and third RBI of the game.
Kentucky (24-9, 6-7 SEC) got on the scoreboard with a two-out, two-run single in the third, but Auburn answered with two of its own in the home half to make it 10-2. McCraine scored on a wild pitch, and Bub Terrell drove in the 10th with a sacrifice fly to center field.
After surrendering the two runs in the top of the third and needing 34 pitches to get through the inning, Andreas Alvarez (6-1) retired the next eight batters he faced in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings on 27 pitches before issuing a two-out walk in the sixth. Alvarez ultimately allowed two runs on three hits in 6.0 innings en route to his sixth straight win.
Auburn scored for the fourth time in the first six innings with a run on a RBI single from Bristol Carter in the sixth, extending the lead to 11-2. However, the potential run that could’ve led to a 10-run advantage was thrown out at the plate.
Kentucky answered as Auburn went to the bullpen and the first three batters of the top of the seventh reached and ultimately scored to cut the deficit to 11-5.
The Tigers added an insurance run on a two-out single from Carter in the eighth, marking Carter’s second hit and RBI of the game and the team’s eighth two-out run of the contest.
LJ Cormier and Ryan Hetzler combined to hold Kentucky scoreless in the 3.0 innings of work. Cormier turned in 2.0 innings and struck out four before Hetzler inherited a pair of runners in the ninth but got a double play and flyout to end the game.
Game two between the Tigers and Wildcats is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.