Tigers come up short in game one
AUBURN | It was another frustrating night at Plainsman Park.
Auburn lost its fourth consecutive home game, 6-5, to No. 8 Kentucky Thursday to fall to 18-15 overall and 2-11 in the SEC.
“Personally, man, it hurts when you go through stretches in this game through all these years and you can’t make a difference. I hate that,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “That’s a really good ball club. We could have played a little bit cleaner, but the effort and everything is there.
“I want to make more of a difference for the guys but I think they’ve got to walk through this one. I think they’re setup and things are there. Somebody has to do a little bit more to make a pitch, get a hit or make a play at game time.”
Trailing 6-4 in the eighth, pinch-hitter Christian Hall drove in a run with a single to cut the lead to one. With runners on first and third and one out, AU was unable to push across another run as Mason Maners was thrown out at the plate on a groundout to the pitcher.
The Tigers got the first two runners on in the ninth but Cooper McMurray struck out and Gavin Miller hit into a 5-3 double play to end it.
Carson Myers had retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced until giving up a double and a two-run home run to Ryan Nicholson in the seventh that broke a 4-4 tie.
Myers (2-3) took the loss allowing two runs on five hits in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out two. Will Cannon didn’t allow a base runner over the final 2.1 innings.
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Trailing 4-0, Auburn got on board in the fourth as UK starter Trey Pooser walked the bases loaded with no outs and Deric Fabian chased him with a double to right-center to drive in two runs.
Cale Stricklin followed with a single to drive in two more as AU tied the game 4-4.
AU starter Dylan Watts allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. UK struck for two runs in the first on four consecutive singles with two outs.
They added two more in the third on a Miller fielding error at third base with two outs and the bases loaded.
The series continues Friday night at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will be available on SECN+/ESPN+.