The first game of the series was supposed to be played on Thursday the 19th, but due to weather it was moved to a doubleheader on Friday the 20th. The Tigers got off to a terrible start with a four hit day leading to a 5-1 loss to start the series.
Auburn’s only hitters were Bobby Peirce, Kason Howell, Mason Land, and Garrett Farquhar who had the only double of the game that also scored Auburn’s sole run. Pitching was a four man affair with Mason Barnett getting the start and the loss with 3.1 Innings pitched with four earned runs given up. John Armstrong finishing the fourth inning, with Tommy Sheehan and Isbell Chase rounding out the game with 2.0 innings pitched apiece.
Kentucky’s Chase Estep doubled in the first to score one, with Kentucky riding the momentum including a explosive fourth inning with Devin Burkes, and John Thrasher both hitting one apiece across help the Kentucky effort to a 5-1 victory.
The second game seemed to go the way toward the Wildcats with Ryan Ritter hitting a solo-homerun to left-field in the second. The momentum quickly turned in favor of the Tigers with a double from Kason Howell double that scored two, and a Garrett Farquhar Single all in the third that allowed Auburn the freedom to score two more in the fourth off a Bobby Pierce triple and a Brooks Carlson single that made it 5-1 Auburn in the top of the fourth.
Auburn would hold the lead, even adding on to it with a Brody Moore Bunt that brought a run in, with Kentucky adding two more runs with a Ryan Ritter double and an Adam Fogel homerun. Thanks in large part because of pitching with Trace Bright pitching the first five innings earing a win with two hits and two runs given up. Carson Swilling and Chase Allsup each pitched an inning, leading to Blake Burkhalter pitching the last two innings and earing the save, his 13th of the year.
When asked about his performance Trace Bright said "A big thing for me is getting ahead," "It's the thing I was focused on this week, getting ahead and out of that first inning.”
When asked about the doubleheader “We did do a good job after a lackluster first game, and we started playing Auburn baseball," head coach Butch Thompson said.
Leading to not only the rubber-match on the 21st, but also the regular season finale in which Auburn fell 6-3 on a five-hit game, and a desaturases sixth inning.
Auburn hot off to a fast start in the first inning due to a Brooks Carlson single that scored one. Auburn would go on to score two more runs with two solo homeruns hit by Bobby Peirce and Sonny DiChiara. With Blake Rambusch, and Bobby Peirce getting the other hits of the games.
Kentucky however took the game in the sixth inning against Carson Skipper, who would go on to get the loss, after a weather delay In which the wildcats scored five of their six runs, leading to a series win for the Wildcats 6-3.
Other pitchers for Auburn included Joeseph Gonzalez who threw the first five innings only giving up three hits. John Armstrong, Chase Allsup, and Brooks Fuller finished the game, with Fuller being brought in for the final out.
"They came out and were ready to play and were hungry," head coach Butch Thompson said of Kentucky after the weather delay. "They absolutely did more with two outs than we did today. Bobby and Sonny got a good couple of hits, but we need to work on our approach on the road."
Losing the series means that Auburn will be playing Kentucky, again as the fifth seed in the First round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover. The winner of which will play LSU.
"I could not stress anymore about trying to play a game up there with so many fans there and being so close to Auburn," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We need to put our best foot forward to win the first game and enter the double elimination portion of the tournament next week."
