AUBURN | Auburn needed a big outing from the bullpen and a true freshman delivered.

Brooks Fuller held No. 21 Tennessee to a run on two hits in 3.2 innings to earn his first career win and lead the 17th-ranked Tigers to a 5-2 series-clinching win Saturday night at Plainsman Park.

Auburn wins its 12th consecutive game to improve to 17-2 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. The Volunteers fall to 17-3 and 0-2.

“I thought (Fuller) was a little shaky there, could have went either way, but he kept competing and did it,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “It was a special opportunity and a big opportunity on a big stage. For him to step up and do that against a very good ball club, I tip my hat.”

Fuller (1-0), who came in for an injured Jack Owen with no outs in the fifth inning and the game tied 1-1, struck out three and issued two walks on 63 pitches. He allowed a walk and single in the fifth and a walk in the sixth before throwing a 1-2-3 seventh.

Elliott Anderson relieved Fuller in the eighth after he allowed a two-out single. Anderson gave up two-straight singles to allow the run to score before retiring four of the next five batters to close the game.

“That was cool, maybe not like that, that situation. But you know I’ve grown up here, it was pretty special,” said Fuller, an Auburn native. “Really it was the curveball that kept me in the game for the first two innings and the last two the fastball got better and better.”

Owen threw two pitches in the fifth inning before exiting due to tendonitis in his throwing shoulder, which is not considered serious at this time. Thompson is confident the sophomore left-hander will be available for his start at No. 5 Mississippi State next Saturday.

“I have no intentions of him not starting next week. I think the next 48 hours will be huge,” Thompson said.

Owen allowed a run on two hits in 4.0 innings with four strikeouts and no walks. His streak of not allowing an earned run to start the season ended at 26.1 innings after Pete Derkay’s solo home run over the right field wall in the second.

Auburn got an unearned run in the fourth as Will Holland walked, stole second and third, and then scored on a throwing error by UT third baseman Andre Lipcius.

The Tigers added four more in the fifth, all with two outs. Matt Scheffler drove in one on a single to right field and Rankin Woley another on an infield single to third. Edouard Julien then drove a ball to right field to score two more and give AU a 5-1 lead.

Judd Ward had two of Auburn’s six singles.

Auburn will go for the sweep Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. AU freshman left-hander Carson Skipper (3-0, 2.84) will face UT senior right-hander Will Neely (2-1, 6.16).