Butch: 'We must get better'
AUBURN | Tanner Burns gave up just one hit, but that’s all Missouri needed.
Trey Harris hit a grand slam off Burns in the fifth inning to lead the visiting Tigers to a 5-0 win over No. 9 Auburn in the rubber game of a three-game series at Plainsman Park. Auburn won game one 5-2 Friday before losing 2-1 Saturday and again Sunday.
Auburn committed six errors in the series.
“I don’t know how my message can be anything other to our team than to get better,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “That was one of those where we were beat for two days and we must get better.”
Auburn, which has lost two-straight series, falls to 22-7 overall and 4-5 in the SEC. Missouri improves to 21-7 and 5-4.
After walking the leadoff batter in the first inning, Burns retired 13 straight before a one-out error by second baseman Luke Jarvis in the fifth. Burns struck out the following batter but walked the next two before Harris drove an 0-1 pitch over the Green Monster in left field.
Burns falls to 2-4 on the season after allowing four runs, zero earned, on one hit in 5.0 innings. The freshman right-hander struck out six and walked three on 94 pitches.
“I thought we pitched good enough to win the series,” Thompson said. “The pitching hiccup for us today — of course, everybody says just the one hit — but at some point during the sixth inning, we had 13 three-ball counts. That’s like playing Russian roulette.”
Missouri starter Bryce Montes De Oca (4-1) held Auburn to one hit in 6.0 innings to earn the win. The junior right-hander struck out five and walked four in 6.0 innings.
After going 1-for-20 with seven strikeouts Saturday, the top five in Auburn’s order were 1-for-15 with three strikeouts Sunday. Auburn had eight hits combined the final two games of the series and is batting .206 overall in nine conference games.
“I thought they threw the fastball by us and we were a little pouty, and that’s one thing we will not allow,” Thompson said. “We need our best players to play at their best. If they start getting sideways or sidetracked or putting their head down, there’s no time for that in this league.”
Auburn hosts Alabama A&M Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT on SECN+ and WatchESPN. AU returns to conference play next weekend at No. 6 Arkansas.