Takeaways from Auburn's Regional-opening loss to Penn
Well, that was a long day of baseball.
Just hours after Southern Miss got upset by Samford in a pitcher's duel that went to extra innings, Auburn lost to Penn, 6-3 to 11 innings, and fall to Saturday's losers bracket to take on Southern Miss in an elimination game.
What can we take away from the contest?
Auburn's bats still struggle against quality starting pitching
Coming into the matchup, I told you that Penn's starter, Ryan Dromboski, was the 2nd best pitcher in the Auburn Regional behind Southern Miss's Tanner Hall.
Both guys pitched phenomenally on Friday.
After Hall went nine innings with one run and nine strikeouts on 123 pitches in the first game of the day (only for Samford to score three runs in the 10th off of a reliever and win the game), Dromboski whirled a gem of his own in the nightcap.
The righty Dromboski went five and a third innings with three hits and two runs allowed, being chased in the sixth after two walks and a single loaded the bases with only one out. Reliever Brian Zeldin walked Cooper McMurray and gave up an RBI fielder's choice to Kason Howell to give Auburn the lead before finally escaping the inning.
Auburn just didn't have answers for Dromboski's arsenal, with his sweeper and changeup giving him options against both the righties and lefties in Auburn's lineup. It's a trend we've noticed at times this season - quality stuff from a starter can hold up the first two times through the lineup against Auburn's offense.
Auburn had only three hits going into the eighth inning, and finished the contest with only four hits through eleven innings.
Auburn's offense stayed in the fight
As they've done seemingly time and time again this season, Auburn continued to fight.
Sending seven men to the plate and using three pinch-hitters and a pinch-runner, Auburn scratched across a single run in the eighth inning to tie the game at three thanks to a Brody Moss RBI walk with the bases loaded.
It was a small-ball battle in this one, as Auburn got their three runs in the contest on two walks and a fielder's choice. All four of Auburn's hits were singles.
But pure grit and determination could only go so far.
Penn just out-executed Auburn
In the 11th, tied at three, Penn scored three runs to break the game open. After a one-out double scored a run (who walked to get on, BTW - there's those freebies again), Penn executed three straight squeeze bunts, scoring two runs on Auburn to push the lead to three.
Neither Will Cannon, in for his fourth inning of action (he entered in relief of Tanner Bauman with two outs in the top of the 8th) nor Carter Wright, who was in after Nate LaRue was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the 8th, were able to complete the defensive plays at the plate.
Said Thompson about the bunts, "I thought that's exactly what they should do in the situation. Executed well, and I thought we really had some shots before that."
The bunts were scored as a single (with a throwing error by Cannon when he sent the feed over Wright's head, allowing the runner who started the play on 1st to advance to third, and two fielder's choices.
For the game, Auburn hitters struck out fourteen times, left ten runners on base, and went 0-9 with runners in scoring position. Penn, by comparison, collected eleven hits and was ten for twenty in "advancement opportunities", at-bats with a runner on base.
What's next for Auburn baseball?
Auburn's in the losers bracket, facing Southern Miss in an elimination game. Said veteran Kason Howell, "Just no time to be sad about tonight. Yeah, it hurts, but we're getting another chance to come play tomorrow. Coach Thompson says 'you can be sad when the season's over', and the season's not over."
Speaking of Kason Howell, he hit a milestone on Friday night - most career games played in an Auburn uniform, with 247.
Auburn plays at 2PM on Saturday, with LHP Tommy Vail taking the ball for the Tigers vs Southern Miss. The game broadcast is available on ESPN+, and the radio call with "Voice of the Tigers" Andy Burcham and Brad Law is available locally on 93.9 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com, and on the Auburn Athletics App.
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