AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn (19-12-1, 4-8 SEC) was back in action at Plainsman Park for a three-game series against Texas A&M (20-12, 5-7 SEC). After the teams split the first two games, Texas A&M would come out victorious in the final game to take the series win.
Dawning the navy script jerseys Thursday night, the Tigers faced off against a Texas A&M squad that has impressed of late, ultimately falling short by a score of 9-5 after a late push from the Aggies.
Hitting was a struggle for the Tigers throughout the whole night. After having a big third inning, which saw Auburn score five runs, the bats seemed to have fizzled out, finishing with a season-high 15 strikeouts at the plate.
“We scored five runs, but it did not feel like from that point on we really challenged to score,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “I did not realize it was 15 strikeouts there, and that’s a little easier to defend.”
It was a struggle all around when it came to pitching for Auburn. Will Cannon was able to come out and pitch a great leadoff inning, but it would not stay the same after having a shaky performance in the second and third innings.
“Will came out with the blister on his finger and he was awesome the first inning, kind of like last week, we dodged a bullet there in the second and third,” Thompson said. “He did a great job competing but got him out after that third inning.”
With the concern of rain on Saturday, the decision was made to play a doubleheader on Friday to mitigate the risk of having a rainout on the final day of the series.
In complete opposite fashion of Thursday, the bats were consistently hot in the first game of the doubleheader. Auburn was able to capitalize on the impressive hitting, coming away with a win by a score of 10-9 to even the series at a game apiece.
Cooper McMurray shined while showing off a powerful swing in the bottom of the first by sending a no-doubter to right field for the Tigers' first home run of the day. The first baseman would later follow up the effort with another home run to bring his RBI total to four on the day.
Not to be outdone by McMurray, Bryson Ware collected a pair of hits, including a double which moved the senior into third in program history for doubles with 62.
Pitching would once again be a concern for the Tigers, as 13 walks were given up. Possibly the most concerning part is that three walks were given up to Texas A&M’s number nine hitter.
Chase Allsup would be brought in to record the final three outs, but instead would load the bases without recording an out.
Parker Carlson would get the nod from the bullpen after Allsup’s less-than-ideal outing but gave up yet another run before causing a flyout to left field that would be the final out in the tense matchup.
“In a normal deal you would probably go get somebody,” Thompson said. “We tried to lengthen everybody and it got us in trouble on the back end, but there would not be any more people available for us.”
Tommy Sheehan would get the start in game three and everything that could go wrong did. The fifth-year man made it only two outs into the ballgame before being pulled due to giving up three runs in addition to walking three batters.
“I was disappointed with Sheehan’s outing. I was just trying to get somebody older, that was probably a mistake on my part,” Thompson said. “I think we were one pitch away from getting out of that first inning, and that is kind of how it goes when it is not really going your way.”
The struggles continued with the pitching, much like the previous two games, as Auburn walked seven batters in the first three innings, in route to finishing the game with 15 walks between the five pitchers that made an appearance.
“I think they know you are supposed to throw strikes,” Thompson said. “I think they hear it loud and clear and understand that, but we have got to start making some strides quickly.”
Texas A&M capitalized on poor pitching all game long. The Aggies tallied seven runs in the first third of the game before adding five more in route to the 12-6 victory and series win against Auburn.
Auburn will be back in action next Tuesday at Georgia Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
