AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn Baseball went into the final game of the series against Ole Miss on Saturday 1-1, with a chance to upset the No.1 team in the country, but ultimately could not take down the Rebels.
On Friday night, unranked Auburn held their own against the top team in the country. The 19-5 game was the Tiger's largest offensive output in SEC play since 2018. The team was hopeful to win their first SEC series of the season, but could not keep up with the Rebels who outscored them 15-2.
The game was held scoreless on both ends, but momentum in the top of the third inning put Ole Miss ahead 3-0 and Auburn could not close the gap for the entirety of the game .
"We felt good going into the ballgame," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We thought we threw our best at them, but they left no doubt today. That's why they're the No. 1 team in the country."
Junior pitcher, Trace Bright, started off the game on the mound for the Tigers retiring seven of the first eight batters he faced. In 4.1 innings, Bright had five strikeouts and allowed only two walks. Opposite of Bright was Ole Miss freshman, Jack Dougherty, a key player in the win allowing one run with seven strikeouts in the five innings he pitched.
Junior Blake Rambusch extended his hitting streak to 10 games, a season-best. The Austin, Texas native collected multiple hits for the 10th time this season. Kason Howell contributed multiple hits for the seventh time this season, including a double.
"We hit a couple hard balls early," said Thompson. "Our at-bats just didn't keep up as the game went on like they did last night."
Ole Miss's three unearned runs were a result of a two-out walk and an error in left field. This was then followed up by two RBI singles. Auburn answered right away in the bottom of the third, as Ryan Dyal followed up Howell's double with an RBI single bringing the score 3-1. However, with two Tiger's on base, a pair of strikeouts left the runners stranded to end the inning.
While Bright managed to retire five straight Rebels entering the top of the fifth, Ole Miss took a major lead, and Auburn could not catch up. They added four runs in the fifth and an additional four in the sixth, making the score 11-1. They took the win and ran with it, scoring a run in each of the last three innings.
Auburn put forth efforts in the sixth as designated hitter Brooks Carlson singled to left field and advanced to second after Mike Bello was ready on first base on a walk. Howell hit an RBI single, bringing home Carlson and attempting to lower the deficit, ending the scoring for Auburn.
Although Auburn ended the weekend with a series loss, the Tigers did not allow the Ole Miss Rebels to leave Plainsman Park with a three game sweep. Auburn Baseball is set to travel to Riverwalk Stadium to face South Alabama on Tuesday in Montgomery at 6 p.m. CT.
