Auburn drops game one in blowout loss to No. 1 Tennessee

Auburn gets annihilated in game 1 of their three-game series with Tennessee.

On Friday, the Tigers traveled to Knoxville to take on a No. 1 Tennessee squad that won their last seven games. On the other hand, Auburn could have also won their last seven games. Who would come up victorious in game one of the three-game skid on Friday night?

Auburn’s starting pitcher Hayden Mullins began the game for the Tigers. However, he would last just 1.2 innings after suffering an injury to his throwing arm. The first inning that Mullins pitched went swiftly with the Vols going three-up-three-down. Unfortunately, the bats came around in the bottom half of the second inning for Rocky Top. Graduate student and catcher Evan Russell flew out to right field to bring across third-baseman Trey Lipscomb. They would also go on to score an additional run which provided them with a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning.

Over the next five innings, pitchers Tommy Sheehan and Chase Isbell threw consistently in 3.1 innings. The two combined to allow just one hit and were one of the few bright spots of Friday night’s game in Knoxville. The only light that Butch Thompson’s squad saw was in the sixth inning. After Tennessee starting pitcher Chase Burns was pulled after pitching five innings allowing one run, relief pitcher Will Mabrey gave up three runs on three hits.

In the top of the sixth inning, a single from second baseman Cole Foster scored Cam Hill. One batter later third baseman Blake Rambusch hit a three-run home run to give Auburn a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning where the Vols were held scoreless. Things did however escalate quickly when the seventh inning came around.

Eleven batters came to the plate in the seventh for Tennessee. A single by Cortland Lawson plated Russell. Two batters later and it was Vols’ first baseman Jorel Ortega that hit a grand slam to increase their lead to 7-4. Two more runs were hit in the inning off the bats of Lipscomb and Russell. The score was 10-4 heading into the eighth inning.

Remarkably, Tony Vitello’s squad proved why they were the best team in the entire country. They piled up a total of seven more runs against Auburn’s bullpen. Homers were hit by pinch hitter Blake Burke and other players Ortega, Lipscomb, and Russell. At the end of eight, Rocky Top led by a score of 17-4. When the last out was recorded, Tennessee came away victorious in convincing fashion with a 17-4 win.

Tennessee improved to 39-3 while Auburn will fall to 30-13 on the season. First pitch for game two of the series tomorrow is set for 6 CT and will be televised on SEC Network. Auburn will look to bounce back and even the series.