AUBURN, Ala. – No. 4 Auburn responded from a six-run deficit to draw to within a pair but ultimately dropped a 9-7 decision to No. 5 Georgia Friday night at Plainsman Park.
After falling behind 8-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Tigers scored four runs in the bottom of the frame to get back into the game.
The two teams traded solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings, but Georgia reliever Zach Brown retired the Tigers in order in the eighth and ninth frames to finish the game.
“They outpitched us for two days,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “Their offense absolutely showed up today. The two three-run homers were too much to overcome tonight. We’re competing our hearts out. LJ Cormier was absolutely tremendous. The spirit’s there, the effort’s there. We’ve got to keep working.”
Making his team-best 17th appearance of the season, LJ Cormier turned in a season-high 4.2 innings and held Georgia to one run on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts after the Bulldogs collected eight runs on nine hits in the first 4.1 innings.
“I know our offense can score runs,” Cormier said. “I tried to do my job and hold them down. The ability to throw all three pitches for strikes. The curveball felt really good in the bullpen, so I knew I could come in and throw it for strikes.”
Georgia (43-11, 23-6 SEC) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning with all five runs coming with two outs. A two-out, two-strike single to right scored the first two before a three-run homer made it 5-0 seven batters into the game.
Auburn (35-18, 16-13 SEC) answered in the bottom of the inning when Chase Fralick reached on a hit-by-pitch and Chris Rembert doubled before both scored on a two-out single from Ethin Bingaman.
After allowing the five-run first inning, Andreas Alvarez (8-3) settled in and held the Bulldogs in check in the second through fourth innings. However, the fifth inning started with a walk and one-out single was followed by Georgia’s second three-run homer of the contest.
Trailing 8-2 after the top of the fifth, Auburn responded with four runs on four hits in the home half. The first run scored on Rembert’s second double of the game, and Bingaman drove in his third and fourth runs with a single to center that skipped under the glove and to the wall, allowing Bingaman to get to third. A walk and hit batter loaded the bases, and Auburn cut its deficit to two on Cade Belyeu’s infield single.
Georgia answered with its third home run of the game with one out in the sixth, making it a 9-6 game.
The Tigers went quietly in the bottom of the sixth but got the run back on a solo home run from Bub Terrell in the seventh, marking Terrell’s team-high-tying 13th home run of the season. The sophomore left fielder has homered in seven straight SEC series.
Cormier faced the minimum in the eighth and ninth thanks in part to a batter’s interference on a potential stolen base. However, Brown matched Cormier by retiring all six batters he faced to earn his first save of the season.
Auburn’s loss snaps a streak of six straight SEC series wins, the longest streak in a single season since 1995.
The finale between the Tigers and Bulldogs is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.