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A team that is hunting the big swing, Ole Miss got two of them on Friday night and that proved to be the difference in the game as the Rebels hit a pair of two-run home runs and Auburn left runners on base by the bunches early, falling 6-4 to drop game one of the Super Regional at Plainsman Park. Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN.<\/p>\n
Judd Utermark and Collin Reuter each hit two-run home runs and number eight hitter Brayden Randle had a pair of RBI singles and that’s all the Rebels would need despite Auburn pitchers Andreas Alvarez and LJ Cormier combining to strike out 14 batters in nine innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Offensively, Auburn had its opportunities but couldn’t capitalize against Ole Miss starter Hunter Elliott. In 4.1 innings, he allowed six hits and walked four, but Auburn managed just a pair of runs against him.<\/p>\n
From the second to the sixth innings, Auburn had 13 different runners on base but managed just two runs. Those missed opportunities proved to be the difference on Friday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I thought we played with good effort tonight,” Thompson said. “I don’t know what the answer is? Score more runs. I’m looking for the same type of effort, same type of standard, same thing we played with tonight. I’m looking for that same thing and hopefully get a different result. I thought the effort was there from us tonight. I thought everything checked in nice. We just need to come out tomorrow and see if we can get a different outcome.”<\/p>\n
Facing a pitcher that they haven’t had any success against during his career at Ole Miss, the Tigers had plenty of chances early against Elliott but couldn’t get the big hit. After the Rebels took the lead on a two-out RBI single from No. 8 hitter Brayden Randle in the top of the second, Auburn loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a pair of walks surrounding a Bub Terrell infield single. Following a 4-pitch walk to Brandon McCraine, Cade Belyeu swung at the first two pitches he saw, the second one starting an inning-ending double play.<\/p>\n
In the bottom of the third the Tigers again would threaten. Bristol Carter started things with a single and when Mason McCraine followed with a single of his own to put Auburn in business. When Eric Guevara was hit by a pitch, the Tigers had the bases loaded with nobody out and the heart of the order at the plate.<\/p>\n
Doing his job, Chase Fralick’s sacrifice fly to left field put the Tigers on the board and tied the game 1-1. With runners on first and second and one out, Chris Rembert had a huge opportunity to put up a crooked number for Auburn, but his ground ball to third started another double play to end the threat.<\/p>\n
Ole Miss would take the lead back in the top of the fourth with the second two-out RBI single for Randle on the night. In the bottom of the fourth Auburn again would threaten, With Terell on first with two outs after reaching on a walk, a Belyeu single put two runners on base for Carter but his liner to right field again left runners on base.<\/p>\n
A team waiting on the big swing, Ole Miss got exactly that in the top of the fifth inning. With a runner on first and one out, big Judd Utermark hit an 0-2 pitch high into the night and over the War Eagle Wall in left field for his 22nd home run of the season. That put the Rebels in front 4-1 and Auburn behind the eight-ball in the Super Regional opener.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once again Auburn would get a huge opportunity in the bottom of the fifth. Following a leadoff walk to Mason McCraine, a Guevara single put runners on first and second with no outs. Getting ahead of Elliott 2-0, Fralick swung at pitch down in the zone and popped it up for the first out. Pushing his hitting streak to 18 games, Rembert’s single up the middle made it 4-2 Ole Miss and put runners on the corners with one out for Ethin Bingaman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Going to the bullpen for hard-throwing righty Hudson Calhoun, Ole Miss got out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly ball to end the inning. Following a two-out walk by Alvarez in the top of the sixth inning, Auburn turned to Cormier to try to keep the deficit at two. His first pitch fastball caught too much of the plate however as number nine hitter Reuter homered off the batter’s eye in center field for a 6-2 lead.<\/p>\n
A Mason McCraine two-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning made it a three-run game and the freshman wasn’t done. Facing Ole Miss closer Walker Hooks, he led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run to make it a two-run game. With Fralick at first after being hit by a pitch, the Tigers had two swings against closer Walker Hooks but Rembert and Bingaman both lined out to right field to end the game.<\/p>\n