Alabama Baseball Falls in Series Opener at Auburn, 5-1
Alabama baseball suffered a 5-1 loss to Auburn on Friday evening at Plainsman Park. Following the series opener, the Crimson Tide is 26-20 overall and 5-17 in Southeastern Conference play.
“It was a tough night for us,” said Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon. “When you go on the road in SEC play and play a ranked opponent at their place, especially late in the year, it’s hard to win. We didn’t play badly tonight, but Auburn made the big plays and that was the difference in the game.”
Auburn kicked off the night’s scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first for the 2-0 lead. The score would hold until Alabama got on the board in the top of the fourth to make it a one-run game. Sophomore Tyler Gentry began the inning with a leadoff single before stealing second. A double to center from freshman Drew Williamson put the pair in scoring position for Kolby Robinson. The junior delivered on the opportunity, singling to right to bring in Gentry and set things at 2-1 through four.
The Tide would get no closer as the Tigers added a pair in the fifth on a misplay for the 4-1 lead. One more run would cross for Auburn in the bottom of the eighth to move the score to 5-1, the eventual final.
Auburn starter Jack Owen (4-0) earned the win with 5.0 innings of one-run baseball. Senior Sam Finnerty (6-6) suffered the loss, exiting after the first. Casey Cobb was next in line for the Tide, providing a solid relief outing. The junior tossed 3.1 innings, allowing two hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Cobb was tagged with two runs, both of which scored after his exit. He was followed by redshirt junior Davis Vainer and freshman Tyler Ras, with the duo combining for the final 3.2 frames.
The two teams return to the diamond on Saturday evening for a 7 p.m. CT first pitch at Plainsman Park. Alabama will call on right-hander Brock Love, a redshirt junior, in the start while Auburn counters with Brooks Fuller, a freshman lefty. Fans can catch Saturday’s matchup on SEC Network.
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