Auburn took the road series against No. 7 Tennessee, securing a decisive win in the finale after splitting two games played Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The split followed a 6-1 Auburn victory in the series opener. The second game, suspended from Saturday and resumed Sunday in the 10th inning, saw Tennessee pull out a 5-4 win in 11 innings. Auburn then claimed the series with an 8-1 victory in seven innings in the third game.
The conclusion of Game 2 featured benches clearing in the top of the 11th inning. An attempted steal of home by Auburn's Bristol Carter resulted in a rundown where he was tagged out by Tennessee pitcher Liam Doyle. The interaction prompted players from both sides to leave the dugouts before coaches and the home plate umpire intervened, preventing further escalation.Tennessee won Game 2 on a walk-off single from pinch-hitter Chris Newstrom in the bottom of the 11th. Dalton Bargo had hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Liam Doyle earned the win, pitching two scoreless innings of relief.In the series finale, Auburn scored four runs in the third inning to establish control. The inning included singles from Chase Fralick, Eric Snow, and Chris Rembert, leading to runs on a wild pitch, an RBI-single by Cade Belyeu, an RBI-groundout by Ike Irish, and a sacrifice fly by Lucas Steele.
Auburn added three runs in the fifth and one in the seventh to reach the final margin. Christian Chatterton earned the win on the mound for Auburn, pitching three shutout innings. Cade Fisher closed the game, allowing one run over four innings to record the save. Tennessee's only run came on a solo home run by Cannon Peebles in the fifth inning.Auburn coach Butch Thompson commented on the team's performance.
"We competed our heart out," Thompson told the Auburn Network. "That draws us closer to some goals that we have. I think that gets us to eight top 10 wins and 15 top 25 wins. Just keep building a resume. We came here and earned it."
Auburn stands at 33-15 overall and 13-11 in SEC play following the series win. Tennessee is now 37-11 overall and 14-10 in the conference.
Auburn is scheduled to host South Carolina for a three-game series beginning Thursday. Tennessee is set to host Indiana State on Tuesday before a home series against Vanderbilt next weekend.
