The Auburn Tigers were hoping for a better start to their College World Series bid, but an SEC rival wasn’t going to let those hopes turn to reality.
The Ole Miss Rebels rolled over Auburn 5-1 on Saturday night, handing the Tigers a loss to start the tournament. The tournament operates on a double-elimination format, so the Tigers will have a chance to stay afloat against the Stanford Cardinal on Monday.
Ole Miss wasted no time putting runs on the board, scoring twice in the first inning from two RBIs off a hit by outfielder Kemp Alderman. They scored again in the third inning when senior Kevin Graham hit a solo shot to left field to make it 3-0 Rebels.
The Tigers were unable to get the bats going all game, but they were able to stave off the Ole Miss attack until the top of the sixth inning, when Alderman advanced home on a double play and sophomore T.J. McCants knocked in an RBI to make it 5-0. That would be the last of Ole Miss’ scoring run, and Auburn couldn’t make up the deficit to bring it back.
The Tigers’ only run came in the bottom of the seventh, when a Bobby Peirce single brought fifth-year senior Garrett Farquhar home.
It’s do or die for Auburn on Monday at 1 p.m. CT when they play a Stanford team that lost to Arkansas by 15 runs.