Auburn mounts comeback win on Senior Day to seal series over Alabama

No. 20 Auburn (35-16, 15-11 SEC) chipped away at an early deficit to get its 18th comeback victory of the season to clinch the sequence win over Alabama (27-24, 10-16 SEC) on Senior Day on the Plains.

Alabama obtained out to an early benefit, however the Auburn offense slowly chipped away on the lead as its bullpen held the Tide bats silent after beginning pitcher Hint Brilliant’s early exit. 

“At this time was a great day to win a sequence,” mentioned head coach Butch Thompson. “We had a troublesome begin however maintained good composure. It took a very long time for us to get again within the ballgame, however these fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings we linked as much as rating a run each inning.”

With a quick begin to the sport, Alabama rallied for 4 hits and two free passes off of Brilliant, together with a no-doubt three-run dwelling run by lefty William Hamiter to cap off a four-run high of the primary. 

After the taxing 36-pitch body the place he allowed six base runners, Brilliant’s day ended, and he handed the ball to lefty Tommy Sheehan. 

Sheehan, who started the season in a beginning function, was capable of give the Tigers some much-needed size out of the bullpen. He pitched 4 scoreless innings and gave Auburn’s bats a while to return to life.

After being held scoreless within the first three innings, Auburn’s offense obtained on the board in three straight innings beginning within the fourth, finally taking again the lead.

Bobby Pierce, who made a powerful leaping catch earlier within the sport whereas retreating again to the fence, continued to make his presence felt within the fourth, lining a 411-foot shot over the wall in left-center for his sixth dwelling run of the yr. His solo shot acted because the spark for Auburn’s comeback effort.

“[The early deficit] is hard, however we knew we had been going to rally,” Pierce mentioned. “Simply chip away, chip away, chip away… Actually that is simply sort of our mindset. We’re by no means out of a sport.”

Within the ensuing fifth inning, Auburn took benefit of an Alabama defensive miscue and tacked on two extra. With one out and runners on first and second, Sonny DiChiara hit a gentle grounder to first base. Making an attempt to get the pressure at second, the primary baseman slung it to second and sailed it excessive over the shortstop’s head. Advancing to attain was Garrett Farquhar and everybody was protected.

Protecting the motion going, Blake Rambusch lined a blooper into right-center for an RBI single, scoring Brody Moore to make it a 4-3 Alabama lead.

As Sheehan completed his day after the fifth inning, Auburn started to go the torch, and all of its relievers had a powerful displaying. Carson Swilling took the ball within the sixth and seventh and allowed no runs whereas solely letting one batter attain on successful by pitch. 

Whereas the bullpen cruised, the offense stored tacking on, and the Tigers evened the rating within the sixth. After Brooks Carlson singled and superior to second on a Kason Howell groundout, Nate LaRue singled into left-center to knock him in. At 4-4, it was now a model new ballgame.

The seventh is the place the Tigers took their one and solely lead. After two fast outs by Moore and DiChiara, they compiled a two-out rally. 

As soon as once more coming by means of with a two-out knock was Rambusch, the staff chief in hits. Following his single, he stole second. With him in scoring place, Pierce as soon as once more got here up huge with a single that scored the go-ahead run.

Protecting the rally going, Brooks Carlson singled to place runners on the corners when Pierce made a dangerous choice with two away. When a handed ball rolled just a few ft away from the catcher, Pierce instantly bolted for the plate, and though the catcher appeared to be in place to make the out, Pierce slipped his hand throughout the plate on a head-first slide for an insurance coverage run.

With a 6-4 lead, freshman Chase Allsup took the mound within the eighth hoping to delay the bullpen’s spectacular work. After a leadoff single, he induced a double play and sat a batter down on strikes to finish the eighth.

In a save state of affairs, Auburn opted to not go to nearer Blake Burkhalter, who threw 18 pitches in his save in sport one, however as a substitute despatched Allsup again to the mound in search of his second save of the season. 

He did simply that. Retiring the primary batter on a groundout, he went on to fan the subsequent two to seal the win for sport two, and proceed the streak of 14.1 straight scoreless innings by Auburn relievers. It additionally sealed the sequence win within the staff’s final regular-season sequence of the season.

Swilling gathered his third win of the season whereas Allsup picked up his second save, however Sheehan taking up for Brilliant and recording 4 innings of no-run ball whereas getting 4 Ks was as clutch because it comes. He saved the Auburn bullpen from exhaustion in sport two of the sequence and took up half of the bullpen’s eight IP for the day.

“I used to be simply attempting to remain inside myself and do what I can,” Sheehan mentioned. “We knew they had been a great fastball hitting staff, so we had been attempting to get a great mixture of pitches in there immediately which labored properly for me and the fellows that adopted me.”

On the plate, the Tigers had a lot going for them. They compiled 12 hits, against the Crimson Tide’s six. 

Auburn had 4 gamers with multi-hit performances: Rambusch, Pierce, Carlson and LaRue. Rambusch led the membership with three knocks and he added an RBI and a run scored. Pierce additionally had an enormous day, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Subsequent, Auburn hosts Alabama as soon as once more for sport three tomorrow at 3. p.m. CST on the SEC Community, and they’re going to have a number of key arms who can be well-rested, together with : Burkhalter, Carson Skipper, John Armstrong and extra.

“Solely 4 baserunners reached the final eight innings,” Thompson mentioned. “Our pitching workers simply grinded by means of attempting to get us again on this ballgame. Swilling got here in and actually combined his pitches earlier than turning it over to Allsup. This was Allsup’s second. We had Burkhalter able to go, however we ended up not needing him.”