Mississippi State gave up 14 hits and 11 RBI, and Auburn clinched its first SEC series win at Dudy Noble Field since 2017 on Saturday as it handed the Bulldogs a 13-2 defeat in seven innings.
After hammering the No. 6 Tigers (35-15, 16-11) with 16 hits in a 10-3 victory in Game 1, the No. 11 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12) struggled to bring home runners in a narrow Game 2 loss on Friday and that same issue plagued the team once again in Saturday’s series clincher. With runners on second and third, Auburn went 7-for-13 at the plate. MSU went just 1-for-7.
The Tigers grabbed a two-run lead in the second inning by way of a Chris Rembert solo homer and a score during a throwing error to second base, and then broke the game open with eight runs in the fifth inning. MSU’s Dane Burns, who was put in for starting hurler Ryan McPherson, gave up a single and hit a batter to get the Tigers in scoring position, and Eric Guevara drove a run in with a single that split the gap in the middle. Parker Rhodes came in for Burns, and Chase Rembert immediately followed up with another single to score two more runs. Ethin Bingaman capped the inning off with a two-run blast to pull ahead 8-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ace Reese finally got the Bulldogs on the board with his 18th homer of the year. Gehrig Frei singled to get on just before Reese’s plate appearance and he drove a ball to center field for two runs.
The spree didn’t startle Auburn one bit and it got back to work in the sixth with four more runs. Guevara drilled a two-run double, Chase Fralick hit a one-run single, and Guevara scored during a balk by MSU pitcher Maddox Webb to slam the door on the Bulldogs. By the end of the sixth the Tigers had already churned out 12 hits, 10 RBI and were only struck out three times. Brandon McCraine delivered a one-run single in the seventh to put the finishing touches on the game.
Frei and Reese each led the team with three of its nine hits.
Mississippi State closes out the regular season next weekend at Texas A&M.
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