HOOVER, AL | A resurgent eighth inning turned into a nightmare ninth for Auburn.
No. 12 seed Kentucky hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Tigers 3-1 and advance to the second round of the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met.
No. 5 seed Auburn is eliminated, falling to 37-19 on the season.
“When you wind up with just a few at-bats and you're not getting anything done, we need that one big hit, and it didn't happen until the eighth inning,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “So sometimes that looks like you're not focused when you're just not having great at-bats, but I think they are. And I think the defense and the pitchers competing showed that.
“We just, we've got to get back to some sharp, clean offense. It's good to have something to work toward in the next few days."
Auburn made two key defensive plays in the eighth to keep a couple of runs off the board as Blake Burkhalter fielded a bunt and threw a runner out at third, and Kason Howell fielded a single in centerfield, threw it to Garrett Farquhar, who relayed it to Nate LaRue at home to tag a runner out.
Sonny DiChiara followed in the bottom of the inning to hit a mammoth solo home run over the right field wall and tie the game 1-1.
“Sonny absolutely had a big hit in the moment, and we can’t subtract that, but we just can’t get there on the fastball,” said Thompson. “On the fastballs in we’re popping them up to center field and the right side of the field by right-handed hitters. You’ll have to be sharper than that and get your bat in position.”
Burkhalter (4-2) took the loss allowing two runs in 1.2 innings.
Kentucky starter Sean Harney stymied Auburn for 7.0 innings allowing just four hits and no runs with five strikeouts. He left in the eighth after hitting his head on the dugout.
Just five days earlier, the right-hander held AU to 3.0 hitless innings to earn a save.
Tyler Guilfoil (3-1) earned the win holding AU to one hit over the final 1.1 innings.
“I can’t give anymore credit to the other side than Harney and Guilfoil, from the weekend and then again today,” said Thompson. “That was a pretty gutsy performance by Harney. I think we had runners at first and second two times and were not able to get the guy moved up to third base. I think that was huge.”
Auburn was 0 of 9 with runners in scoring position and 1 of 11 with runners on base. In its last four games, all against UK, AU has hit .209 and scored just 11 runs.
Carson Skipper got Auburn off to a great start striking out seven and allowing just one hit in 3.0 innings. Trace Bright allowed one run on two hits in 2.2 innings and Carson Swilling one hit in 0.1 innings.
Chase Allsup followed Burkhalter and struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth.
The NCAA selection show is Monday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
