The No. 21 Auburn Tigers took on the No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies on the road in College Station this weekend, and things did go according to plan as Auburn dropped all three games.
The Tigers lost 9-7 on Thursday, 12-8 on Friday and 10-9 in 12 innings on Saturday.
Texas A&M pulled ahead early in game one, but Auburn did tie it up in the top of the fourth inning. A three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning secured the win for the Aggies.
Conner McBride got the start for Auburn and did not have his best stuff. In his three innings of work, McBride allowed six runs off of six hits and struck out three batters while walking two.
Ike Irish and Chris Stanfield led Auburn offensively, combining for five hits and four runs.
“Those shutdown innings in the fourth and the sixth when we worked so hard to score the three runs and they got them right back,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said of the difference in the ballgame. “The fifth run, the sixth run, the seventh run, the eighth run, the ninth runs were all either a walk or hit-by-pitch.”
Game two was similar to game one and the Tigers only trailed by one run heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. The Aggies went on a five-run rally in the bottom of that inning to take a commanding lead.
The Tigers did not go down quietly, however, putting four runs across in the top of the ninth inning.
Chase Allsup got the start for Auburn and allowed five runs off of seven hits in 4.2 innings of action. He struck five batters out while walking only one.
Irish and Cooper McMurray led the way at the plate for Auburn, going 3-5 and 3-4 respectively. The two combined for seven RBI.
“It’s OK to be frustrated,” Thompson said. “We think a lot of ourselves. I like this roster and coaching staff. To not be able to perform and keep up with the guys in the league, it’s ok to be frustrated. You just can’t be sad and have to keep playing.”
A three-run rally in the top of the eighth inning allowed Auburn to force extra innings. A walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning allowed the Aggies to finish off the sweep of the Tigers.
Auburn's bullpen paved the way for the Tigers and held the Aggies off of the board for three important innings.
“So many guys contributed and gave us a chance to win,” Thompson said. “We talked about it earlier today that your character will be revealed at this stage and time, and I thought we played with a lot of character today.”
Auburn is now 16-11 on the season and 1-8 in conference play.
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday night to take on the UAB Blazers at Regions Field in Birmingham at 6 p.m. CT. There is no television broadcast, but the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be heard anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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