AUBURN | Auburn codlin’t maintain hot starts at the plate in splitting a doubleheader Sunday against Middle Tennessee.
In game one, the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead but managed just one hit after the third inning, holding on for a 10-7 win. AU was up 3-0 in the second inning of game two but managed just three hits over the final six innings of a 4-3 loss.
With Friday night’s 10-8 win, the Red Raiders take the series. The Tigers fall to 13-4 on the season.
“I think we competed good,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson told the Auburn Network. “I think the effort is there. We ran into a ball club that swung it.”
Blake Burkhalter earned the save in game one and came on to throw a scoreless seventh in game two, but Thompson didn’t feel conformable putting his closer out there for another inning.
“Once he got north of 50 pitches, pitching twice in a day, we were going to have to score a run at some point and we just didn’t,” said Thompson.
Carson Swilling (0-2) came on in the eighth with the game tied 3-3 and gave up the winning run on a bases-loaded walk. Brody Moore got on base with a one-out single in the bottom of the inning but Peyton Wigginton retired the final two batter to earn the win, holding AU to three hits over the final 4.1 innings.
The Tigers’ three-run second came on back-to-back-to-back bases-loaded, RBI singles by Cam Hill, Jake Wyandt and Blake Rambusch.
Middle Tennessee tied it in the fourth with three runs off Trace Bright including four hits and a walk. Bright, however, retired the next eight batters he faced to finish with three runs allowed on six hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out four.
“Really positive by Trace,” said Thompson. “Trace did a good job getting us six innings and Burkhalter was a warrior.”
Auburn jumped out to a big lead in game with seven runs in the first inning on six hits, three walks and a wild pitch, sending 12 batters to the plate. Ryan Dyal, Bryson Ware, Moore and Cole Foster all had RBI singles, Jake Wyandt and Blake Rambusch had bases-loaded walks and Howell drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers added three runs with two outs in the third to make it 10-0 on back-to-back RBI singles by Dyal and Brooks Carlson, and an RBI double by Ware.
Middle Tennessee kept chipping away, scoring two in the fourth and three in the sixth. The Blue Raiders cut the lead to 10-7 with single runs in the seventh and eighth before Burkhalter came in and to throw 2.0 scoreless innings and record his third save of the season.
Tommy Sheehan (1-0) earned the win allowing two runs on four hits in 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. AU starter Jospeh Gonzalez left after the first inning with a minor finger injury.
The Tigers host Kennesaw State Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+, and open SEC play with a three-game series against Ole Miss beginning Thursday night at Plainsman Park.
