Takeaways: Auburn drops first game of the second round of the SEC Tournament to Vanderbilt
Auburn baseball dropped their first game of the SEC Tournament, 6-4 to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday night and heads to the losers bracket in the double elimination 2nd round. Here's what you need to know from the contest:
It always comes back to the freebies
Trust me, I'm as tired of writing about it as you are of seeing it. But it happened, so we've gotta talk about it.
In the game, Auburn walked eight, their most walks in a single game since the series finale loss at South Carolina on April 30th.
Five of Vanderbilt's six runs were scored by runners who reached via walk or error. The trouble started early, when projected 1st round draft pick Enrique Bradfield walked to open the contest and promptly stole 2nd and 3rd on consecutive pitches, eventually scoring on a base hit to center field. That batter came around to score in the first, too, staking Vandy to an early 2-1 lead.
Chase Allsup took some time to get his stuff set, firing twenty-seven pitches to get through the first inning and being tagged with two runs on one hit and two walks in the frame.
Chase Allsup rallied
But the big righty from Dothan wasn't done yet. Just four days after throwing over 100 pitches on Friday night in a dominant performance against Missouri - seven innings pitched, with three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts - Allsup took the mound and gave Auburn five innings. After the rocky first, he settled down and sat down Vandy in order in the second through fourth innings, allowing only one baserunner to reach, via walk.
But Allsup got into trouble again in the sixth, allowing a walk and a single to open the frame before getting pulled at eighty-one pitches. He was replaced by righty sidearmer John Armstrong, who shut down the rally with only one run scoring despite Vanderbilt loading the bases with only one out in the inning.
For the game, Allsup was charged with three runs on three hits & four walks with only two strikeouts on eighty-one pitches (forty-eight strikes).
Armstrong, who did not look like himself and is clearly still feeling the impacts of an arm injury that's hampered him in the back half of SEC play, was charged with three runs (two earned) on one hit, with four walks and two strikeouts.
Vandy's pitching shut down the Tigers
Auburn's bats just couldn't get enough baserunners tonight. Auburn finished the game with only five hits, and didn't have their first actual baserunner until a eight pitch leadoff walk by Bobby Peirce in the 4th inning - Auburn's first two hits of the game were solo shots by Cole Foster (1st inning) and Chris Stanfield (3rd inning).
Vanderbilt pitchers Sam Hilboki and Patrick Reilly each threw four innings, walking a combined three batters while striking out eleven and keeping Auburn from having many opportunities to hit with runners in scoring position. The Tigers hit three homeruns - Bryson Ware hit his 23rd of the season, tying him with Hunter Morris (2010) for the program's single-season record, in the 9th inning - but only got four total runs out of the three longballs and only once even had multiple baserunners in an inning.
Auburn had a shot to blow the game open in the 4th inning: Bobby Peirce walked to open the frame, but was erased via double play. With two outs, Bryson Ware singled, stole second, and then Ike Irish walked behind him before a Fielder's Choice ended the inning.
Auburn only had three more baserunners in the entire game, and only one of them made it to second base.
Enough of the bullpen should be available
With the loss, Auburn drops into the loser's bracket and plays tomorrow at (approximately) 1PM against #9 Alabama, who dropped their 2nd round matchup against Florida in heartbreaking fashion (if you're an Alabama fan, anyway), taking a 6-3 lead in the top of the 11th and then watching BT Riopelle crank a walkoff homerun in the bottom of the inning.
Auburn only used three pitchers in the contest, with freshman Drew Nelson coming in for the eighth inning with two runners on and no outs - those two runners scored on base hits, charged to Armstrong, but Nelson escaped the inning without further damage on only nineteen pitches.
Given the length that Auburn got out of Chase Isbell (3.0 innings) and Zach Crotchfelt (2.1) on Tuesday night, multiple relievers are available out of the pen for the Thursday contest, including closer Will Cannon and go-to bulk reliever Parker Carlson, as well as freshmen Hayden Murphy and Cameron Keshock. Either junior Tanner Bauman or Christian Herberholz (pronator strain) will likely be the starter for the elimination game, with Herberholz's status unknown - he was a game-time decision before game one after that pronator strain, suffered against Ole Miss, caused him to miss the Missouri series.
What's next for Auburn baseball?
Auburn's matching up with rival Alabama in a win-or-go-home game tomorrow, and they're aware of what this one means:
First pitch is expected to be at 1:00 PM; it's officially 30 minutes after the conclusion of #6 South Carolina vs #10 Texas A&M, which is slated to start at 9:30 AM. The game is being broadcast on SEC Network, and the radio call with "Voice of the Tigers" Andy Burcham and Brad Law is available on 93.9FM, AuburnTigers.com, and the Auburn Athletics App.
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