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Auburn got things back on track this weekend with the series victory over Ole Miss this weekend. The Tigers should have a NCAA Regional appearance locked up, now, but we'll have to wait and see next weekend.
Game 1: Auburn 4-1
Keegan Thompson had one of the best outings of his career in the first six innings of the first game of the series. Until the lighting delay shut things down for an hour, he pitched 6 scoreless and hitless innings while striking out 8. I can't help but wonder if he would have thrown the no-hitter if the game had continued with no delay.
The Tigers' bats came alive in the first game. Whether it was the haircuts or Luke Jarvis returning to the lineup is debatable, but they got on the board on Jarvis' bat in the 2nd inning. Jarvis scored on a Jonah Todd single in the 4th and then Daniel Robert followed with a home run in the 4th as well to give Thomspon all the run support he needed. Cole Lipscomb came on after the lightning delay and finished the game out. He did allow a run in the 9th, but for the most part, he was just as good as Keegan had been in the early going, He struck out 4 in his 3 innings pitched and only allowed 3 hits.
Game 2: Auburn 9-1
If the bats woke up in Game 1, it was only the early morning wake up. By Friday night's game, they were ready to go wild. They scored early and often in this one, with a Josh Anthony single scoring Daniel Robert and Jonah Todd getting things going in the 1st inning. They added 2 more runs in the 3rd inning thanks to Jay Estes and Blake Logan.
Connor Davis drove home a run in the 5th inning to get the score up to 5-0. When Auburn came to bat in the 5th, though, they really broke things open. The Tigers scored 4 more thanks to a Bo Decker double, a bases-loaded walk, and a Conor Davis double. Davis led the team with 3 RBIs on the night.
On the mound, Davis Daniel continued to show his improvement since the beginning of the season. He struck out 8 batters and allowed only 4 hits and 1 run in his 6 and 1/3 inning. Gabe Klobosits came on to finish the game, throwing the final 2 and 2/3 innings. He allowed an inherited run to score but only gave up 3 hits as he closed the game out for Auburn and gave the Tigers the much-needed series victory.
Game 3: Ole Miss 4-8
Things just didn't really go right for the Tigers all afternoon in the final game of this series. Auburn jumped on the board first in the 1st inning with a Conor Davis single for a RBI, but the lead didn't last long. Ole Miss tied it in the 2nd and then took the lead in the 3rd. Josh Anthony tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the 3rd with a double, but Ole Miss took the lead for good in the 4th with 3 runs.
The game was delayed for a little while due to weather in Auburn's half of the 5th inning as Dylan Ingram scored Jonah Todd on a groundout. Ole Miss scored again in the 6th and 9th, though, to get the game to the final margin of 4-8.
Andrew Mitchell started this one, but Butch Thompson pulled him in the 3rd when he gave up 3 earned runs. Ole Miss avoided the sweep on the Plains with the Sunday win.
The Way Forward
These two teams will likely meet again in the first game of the SEC Tournament as Auburn should be the 8th seed and Ole Miss the 9th. That means the Tigers and Rebels should have the 4:30 pm game on Tuesday.
A Regional should be locked up at this point even with today's loss and regardless of what happens in Hoover. A good run through the SEC Tournament could result in a better spot, but more than likely nothing Auburn really does in the SEC Tournament will have a huge say in where the Tigers end up in the NCAA Tournament.
The regular season has come to a close. It's likely that Keegan Thomspon and others have played their final games at Plainsman Park. What a season they had to go out on, too. There were plenty of ups and downs, but overall it was a great ride. Here's to hoping it keeps going for a few more weeks!