Auburn splits double-header with Tennessee on Sunday

[AUSportTalk 4]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Auburn had its 11-game winning streak snapped in the

second game of a SEC doubleheader on Sunday, falling 7-1 at Tennessee

after winning the first game of the day, 8-5, to clinch the series

victory. The Tigers were held to just three hits in game two after

pounding out 11 in the first, including four home runs.

“When you look at the grand scheme of things, going on the road to open

the SEC season and winning the first two games, I told the kids there

are a lot of positive things to take from this weekend,” Auburn Head

Coach  John Pawlowski said. “Winning two out of three gets us off to a

good start but the second game (on Sunday) leaves a bad taste in your

mouth.”

Tennessee (8-8, 1-2 SEC) took its first lead of the series with a

five-run bottom of the third off of Auburn starter Paul Burnside,

collecting a walk, three singles, a double and a home run in the inning.

With Tennessee already up 3-0 on RBI hits by Josh Liles and Kentrail

Davis and a RBI groundout by Cody Hawn, Blake Forsythe took a 1-1 pitch

from Burnside back out over the wall in right for a two-run shot to go

up 5-0.

Auburn (13-5, 2-1) got a run back in the fourth as Joseph Sanders

narrowly missed a home run to left-center, banging the ball just below

the yellow line to lead off the inning. A one-out walk to Hunter Morris

put runners on first and second for Brian Fletcher, who moved both

runners up with a groundout to second. A balk by Tennessee starter

Stephen McCray scored Sanders from third but Auburn was unable to

capitalize after that, stranding Morris at third.

Burnside (0-1) was lifted in the fourth with one on and one out and

Auburn down, 5-1, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk, suffering

his first loss of the season.

“Burny missed a couple spots with his fastball and they jumped on a

couple and unfortunately we just didn’t have much going offensively

there,” Pawlowski said.

Auburn threatened to get back into the game in the top of the sixth,

putting its first two runners on in the top and knocking McCray out of

the game, but reliever Bryan Morgado fanned Ben Jones looking and Morris

and Brian Fletcher swinging to end the inning.

McCray went five innings, allowing just the one run on three hits and

two walks, striking out three to pick up his third win of the season.

“He threw his fastball for a strike and he had pretty good velocity,”

Pawlowski said of McCray. “We had some chances in the first and then

again in the sixth but we couldn’t find a way to manufacture runs and I

think that was the difference in the second game.”

Tennessee tacked on an extra insurance run in the bottom of the sixth

when Tyler Horne led off the inning with his second home run of the

season.

Mummey’s first-inning double extended his hitting streak to 17 games

after the sophomore outfielder went 2-for-4 in the first game of the

doubleheader.

Jon Luke Jacobs (2-0) was the winner in the first game, tossing five

innings and allowing three runs, as Auburn used four home runs to grab

an 8-5 win and its first SEC-opening series victory since the 2003

season and its’ first road SEC-opening series since 1997.

Auburn failed to hit a home run in the second game, snapping its streak

of nine straight games with at least one homer. Auburn has homered in

all but two games this year and has 39 on the season, which ranks in a

three-way tie for 21st in Auburn history with the 1989 and 1993 teams.

Auburn returns to Plainsman Park for its next five games, starting with

a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday against Charleston Southern.

Game time for both games is 6 PM CT.

[War Tiger 69 0]

Not a bad start to the SEC schedule. Sure would be nice if the baseball team was competitive again!

[Jackson-Sullivan 0]

Not bad at all.  Great start to SEC play!

[White Tiger 0]

Absolutely