Auburn falls to Ole Miss 6-4 in Super Regional opening game
AUBURN, Ala. (WAKA) – Ole Miss defeated Auburn 6-4 last night in the first game of their Super Regional baseball game at Plainsman Park.
A record crowd of 10,627 saw the game.
Ole Miss scored first with a two-out RBI single in the top of the second, taking a 1-0 lead when Brayden Randle drove in Hayden Federico.
Auburn loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the second, but a double play ended the inning.
Bristol Carter singled to lead off the bottom of the third, moved to second on McCraine’s single, advanced to third when Eric Guevara was hit by a pitch, and scored on Fralick’s game-tying sacrifice fly before another double play ended the inning.
Randle delivered for the Rebels again with two outs in top of the fourth, driving in Austin Fawley, who had doubled, to give Ole Miss a 2-1 lead.
The Rebels increased their lead to 4-1 when Judd Utermark hit a two-run home run over the War Eagle Wall, his 22nd homer of the season.
Auburn answered in the bottom of fifth after a leadoff walk to McCraine and Guevara’s single to right. Rembert followed with an RBI single up the middle, scoring McCraine to trim the Rebels’ lead to 4-2 and chasing Ole Miss starter Hunter Elliott.
Alvarez (10-4) reached double digit strikeouts for the fourth time this season, bringing his season total to 113. He exited after issuing his only walk of the game with two outs in the top of the sixth, allowing five earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. The Rebels’ No. 9 hitter, Collin Reuter, hit the first pitch from reliever LJ Cormier over the wall in center for a two-run home run for a 6-2 Ole Miss lead.
Cormier retired the next six hitters he faced, allowing one run on three hits in 3.1 innings while striking out four.
Auburn’s first extra base hit came in the bottom of the sixth, an RBI double from McCraine that scored Carter to cut the Rebels’ lead to 6-3.
Auburn drew six walks but the Tigers were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
Trailing 6-3, freshman Mason McCraine led off the bottom of the ninth with a 387-foot home run that landed on the roof of the player development center beyond right field.
“I saw a pitch in the zone, trying to get the leadoff man on,” said McCraine, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. “We’ve been in this role before, and I think we have the team to do it.”
Ole Miss closer Walker Hooks hit Chase Fralick with one out, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Chris Rembert and Ethin Bingaman both barreled balls to right field to end the game.
“The two-out hits were big,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “That was the difference in the ballgame. I liked how we kept having at-bats. I really felt like we had a chance to get back in that ballgame all the way up to the last batter at the plate. I’d like for them to play with the same resolve tomorrow and hopefully get a different result. We’ll keep fighting.”
“Rembert and Bingaman, those are exactly the type of approaches you need in that moment,” Thompson said. “We’ve got to keep swinging and make a difference with the two-out stuff. That’s where they got us tonight.”
Ole Miss reliever Hudson Calhoun (5-3) earned the win, pitching 2.2 innings while allowing only one run. Hooks pitched the final 2.0 innings to earn his eighth save.
Needing a victory to force a winner-take-all game three on Sunday, Auburn (42-21) and Ole Miss (40-21) play game two of their super regional Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.
— Information from Auburn University Athletics
