Auburn adds catcher Lucas Steele from Transfer Portal

Steele hit 16 home runs and sent home 51 last season as a freshman at Samford.

Auburn Baseball needs to address several areas ahead of the 2025 season and is off to a great start by adding a power bat from the transfer portal.

[autotag]Lucas Steele[/autotag], a freshman catcher from Hoover, announced this week that he is transferring to Auburn after spending his first collegiate season at Samford.

“I love the guys at Samford and I love the coaches and players,” Steele said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “Some of those guys will be my best friends for life. I wanted to bet on myself and take the chance to play bigger. It’s just something I had the opportunity to do. I’m blessed to be given this opportunity.”

Making the move to Auburn has potential to work out favorably for both parties. For Auburn, the Tigers add power by bringing in Steele, who hit 16 home runs and plated 51 RBI while hitting .315 at the plate for the Bulldogs. For Steele, its a chance to play baseball for his dream school.

“Auburn has been a part of my whole life,” Steele said. “We grew up Auburn fans. I have been to Auburn football games and baseball games. My brother in law (Richard Fitts) actually pitched at Auburn. That’s where him and my sister met. There’s another connection.”

Auburn will look to find several pieces to replace outgoing players such as [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag]. Eight players from last season’s roster currently occupy the transfer portal, which will allow head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] the space to add useful players to next season’s roster in an effort to improve upon its disappointing 2024 campaign which ended without an appearance in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C72wo_mMuJS/

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Recap: Auburn baseball evens series with Missouri behind offensive explosion

Auburn evened its series with Missouri on Saturday by keeping its feet on the pedal.

Auburn baseball scored 11 runs on 11 hits in Friday’s series opener at Missouri in a losing effort. Auburn returned to the field Saturday and delivered another stellar performance at the plate, resulting in a win.

The visiting Tigers scored 12 runs on 17 hits while smashing four home runs in a 12-2 run-rule victory over Missouri on Saturday at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Auburn’s bats were on fire Friday, especially in its six-run 7th inning. However, Auburn’s pitching allowed 12 runs on 13 hits, which included six runs over the final two innings. Saturday’s effort on the mound was much more respectable as [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] and [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] returned to early-season form.

Allsup returned to the weekend rotation for the second-straight weekend on Saturday and delivered a four-hit, nine-strikeout performance while allowing one run over five complete innings. For Allsup, he has now struck out 18 batters while allowing two earned runs on eight hits since returning to the weekend rotation last Sunday in the finale with Ole Miss.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] was pleased with Allsup’s efforts on Saturday.

 “That was good,” Thompson said postgame. “Nine strikeouts and only one walk and did a nice job. He did get to that 90 pitches or so, but he’s been on a journey and plugged it back up in a SEC start, and a quality one at that.”

Myers finished the game by striking out four batters and allowing two hits in three innings of work to earn the save.

Offensively, [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] paced Auburn by recording four hits with four RBI. All four of his RBI came in the final two innings, two in the 7th inning on a home run and two more in the 8th on a single to left field. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] had three hits while Cooper Weiss added two more. Irish, Green, Weiss, and [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] each homered in the contest.

With Saturday’s win, Auburn has evened the series with Missouri. The rubber match of this weekend’s series is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT, and can be seen on SEC Network+.

[lawrence-related id=82645]

Recap: Auburn’s SEC Tournament hopes are dashed with Friday loss at Missouri

Auburn dropped the series opener to Missouri on Friday despite having a comfortable lead in the late stages.

The tough hits keep coming for Auburn baseball.

Auburn held an 11-6 lead over Missouri in the 7th inning of Friday’s series opener. Then, as has been the case for most of the SEC slate, Auburn’s luck ran out in the final innings. Missouri rattled off six unanswered runs over the final two innings to stun Auburn and claim the first game of the weekend series, 12-11, on Friday night at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Each team traded blows through the first six innings with Missouri hanging on to a 6-5 lead. Auburn caught momentum in the 7th inning by scoring six runs to build a comfortable 11-6 lead. [autotag]Eric Guevara[/autotag] kicked off the inning by scoring two runs on a double, with [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] following suit later in the inning with a three-run triple. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] capped scoring by grounding out to the shortstop which allowed Irish to score.

Auburn’s momentum was taken away immediately as Missouri scored twice in the bottom frame and stole the lead in the 8th inning by scoring four runs. Missouri’s final blow was delivered by Matt Garcia, when he doubled home three runs to push his team ahead, 12-11.

Irish led the team in hits with three. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], and Eric Guevara each recorded multiple hits. On the mound, [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits. Starter [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] allowed three runs on four hits while striking out three batters in four innings of work.

Game two of the weekend series between Auburn and Missouri is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT Saturday.

[lawrence-related id=82645]

Recap: Auburn baseball completes comeback effort in Sunday’s win over Ole Miss

The Tigers rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take down Ole Miss in walk off fashion.

Auburn baseball did not get the necessary wins over Ole Miss last weekend that it needed to keep its SEC Tournament hopes alive, but they refuse to pack up and quit on the season.

Sunday’s game was an example of Auburn’s determination. Trailing 5-0 before picking up a bat, the Tigers chipped away throughout the game before delivering the final blow in the final inning to walk-off as 10-9 victors over the Rebels on Sunday evening at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

The Sunday win prevented Auburn from being swept for the fifth time in SEC play. Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] was proud of his team’s ability to overcome early adversity and to keep fighting until the final at-bat.

“A great job by the resiliency of the club,” Thompson said postgame. “They’ve hung in there and competed enough to get that last punch back. I really wanted it for them.”

Auburn responded to Ole Miss’ five-run 1st inning effort by scoring two runs in the bottom frame on two RBI singles by [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag]. The Tigers added a run each in the next three innings to tie Ole Miss, 5-5, going to the top of the 5th inning, and would take a 6-5 lead in the 7th inning on Belyeu’s double.

Both teams combined to score four runs over the final two innings. Ole Miss’ Jackson Ross tied the game in the top of the 8th with a solo shot, which paved the way for Auburn’s [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] and [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] to hit solo blasts themselves in the bottom frame to put Auburn back in front, 8-6.

Ole Miss pieced together one last comeback bid in the 9th inning by sending three runs home on a bases-loaded double by Andrew Fischer. In the bottom frame, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag] tied the game at 9-9 with an RBI single before a wild pitch allowed [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag] to score and to give the Tigers the 10-9 win.

At the plate, Auburn totaled 15 hits with five players recording multiple hits. On the mound, starter [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] lasted 2/3 of an inning after allowing five runs on four hits. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag], [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag], [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag], and [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] also saw time on the mound.

Carlson earned the win, but the performance of the game belonged to Allsup, who earns the credit for keeping Ole Miss from adding more runs over the middle innings. He allowed one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out nine batters.

“Allsup gave us a chance today,” Thompson said. “That’s a couple of outings where he threw the ball really well. He’s had control and command. He’s absolutely grown as a pitcher. He’s hung in there. I’m glad to see him have success. He persevered and was rewarded today.”

Auburn baseball moves to 22-24 on the season, 4-20 in SEC play. The Tigers will travel to Atlanta on Tuesday to face Georgia Tech for its final non-conference game of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.

Check out the highlights from Sunday’s win here.

Recap: Auburn baseball struggles carry on, loses to Ole Miss

Auburn baseball begins the month of May with a loss to Ole Miss, a win it desperately needed to keep any SEC Tournament hopes alive

Auburn baseball is attempting to fight its way into the SEC Tournament after it has struggled for the entirety of conference play, only winning three games up to this point. The Tigers have to play nearly perfect from here on out, which begins by playing Ole Miss.

Unfortunately, the start to this series did not go as Auburn hoped, as it lost to the Rebels in game one of this set on Friday, 11-7.

The scoring in this game got started early. In the top of the 1st, Ole Miss left fielder Jackson Ross took the first pitch he saw and sent it over the left field wall, putting his team on top 1-0.

The Tigers did not let that early run pass by so easily, though. With two runners on and one out in the bottom of the 2nd, [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] reached on an error that was able to score in an Auburn run, tying the game up.

This is where the Rebels started to pour on though, as they wanted to put this game to bed quickly. They got two runners on with one out in the top of the 3rd before Ross came back to the plate and doubled down the left field line to score in one.

Andrew Fischer followed this up with a three-run homer to right field, giving Ole Miss a quick 5-1 lead on the road.

The Tigers clawed back in the bottom of the 4th with one out. Green got down the line quickly to complete an infield single to third base, putting two runners on. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] then hit an RBI single and advanced to second base on a throw, putting two runners in scoring position.

Immediately after this, [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] stepped to the plate and hit a ball towards the right side, where an error was made that allowed both runners on base to score, making it a 5-4 game.

The Rebels did not let this last for long. In the top of the 5th, Ross got things going with two outs in the form of a single to center field. Fischer then followed this up with a double down the right field line, putting Ross at third.

This set Will Furniss up to send a deep shot into center field and over the wall for another three-run home run.

Luke Hill kept the party going with a double into right center, before Judd Utermark hit a double right after to score him. This put Ole Miss up 9-4.

The Rebels struck again in the top of the 7th, when with the bases loaded and two outs, Eli Berch took a free pass and brought in the 10th run for his team.

Auburn made a quick answer in the bottom half of the inning. With [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] on second, Green came in clutch once again, singling to center field and making it a 10-5 game. However, the Tigers still needed some late heroics to win this.

Ole Miss made those even harder to come by later on. In the top of the 9th, Treyson Hughes rattled off an RBI single to extend the lead back to six runs.

The Tigers did make some noise in their final chance. With two runners on and one out, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag], scoring [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] from second.

[autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] then walked to load the bases, creating some tension on the field. After a strikeout, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] walked to bring in another run for Auburn. That would be all, though, as [autotag]Gavin Miller[/autotag] then struck out to end the game.

[autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] was given the loss for the Tigers, dropping to 0-3 on the season. He pitched for three full innings, giving up five runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking one.

Riley Maddox earned the win for the Rebels. He worked for five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. He also struck out three and walked two.

Auburn has a chance to even the series up in game two on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

Recap: Auburn baseball salvages game in LSU series with Sunday win

A strong 1st inning allowed Auburn to cruise to a Sunday victory over the defending national champions.

Auburn baseball started off its weekend series at LSU in a rocky way but managed to salvage a game in the finale.

The visiting Tigers set the tone early by jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the 1st inning. Auburn used that momentum to cruise to a 7-5 win over LSU on Sunday at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] says that his team’s no-quit mindset and better approach at the plate led his team to a win.

“I just think they stayed in the series,” Thompson said postgame. “We did get a freshman starter on the mound against us today and got the starter out in the first. The first two starters got length and got as far as they wanted to. They had to make a change immediately in the ballgame. The bats and the approach were in a better spot today.”

Auburn’s strong start began in the 1st inning with an RBI single by [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] that scored [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag]. [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] added two runs on an RBI double while [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] tacked on two more with an RBI single in the next at-bat. All five of Auburn’s 1st inning runs came with two outs.

Belyeu added to his total in the 3rd inning with an RBI single to score Wright and push Auburn to a 6-0 advantage. LSU answered with an Ashton Larson RBI single to cut into the lead, 6-1.

The most danger Auburn faced in the game was in the 4th inning when Steven Milam smashed a three-run home run to trim Auburn’s lead to 6-4. The threat ended, however, as Green sent Belyeu home on an RBI double to left field in the 6th inning. Larson added his second RBI of the game in the 7th inning on a sacrifice fly, but the Bayou Bengals failed to threaten Auburn’s lead for the remainder of the game.

Belyeu and Green each recorded three RBI in Auburn’s win while leadoff batter Chris Stanfield totaled three hits. Auburn pitching allowed five earned runs on eight hits while walking four batters and striking out six. [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag] earned the win in relief by striking out two of the five batters he faced in a one-inning effort. [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] took home the three-inning save by allowing one hit and striking out two batters.

“We needed the win,” Carlson said postgame. “We just keep staying in there and keep fighting. We’ve been saying ‘keep fighting’ since I’ve been here and that’s just the way this team rolls. We’re not going to roll over no matter how the season’s going. I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of our guys.”

Auburn will step away from midweek action this week and will prepare for their next home series. Auburn hosts Ole Miss this weekend for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. CT.

Recap: Auburn crushes Florida A&M in final midweek home game of season

Nine players recorded hits while Chase Allsup found his groove on the mound in Auburn’s win over the Rattlers.

Auburn baseball bounced back from a sweep at Mississippi State over the weekend by taking down Florida A&M in midweek action.

Nine Auburn players recorded at least one hit while pitcher [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] found his groove on the mound in Auburn’s 11-1, seven-inning win over the Ratters on Tuesday at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

Allsup, who is a usual piece of the weekend rotation, earned the start in Tuesday’s win. He put together a solid outing by allowing one earned run on two hits while walking one and striking out eight over five innings. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag] shut the door by throwing two perfect innings, striking out four batters.

“Their stuff was absolutely set today,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said of Auburn’s pitching performance on Tuesday.  “I know it’s different sometimes on a Tuesday than it is on the weekend, but I think their stuff set will play competitively on the weekend like what we’ve been used to in the past. They were good. That is why they got out there today is to keep trying to find, develop and get your stuff set, and they both accomplished that.”

Allsup has seen his share of struggles this season, as he entered Tuesday’s contest with a 1-3 record and a 7.46 ERA. He has worked to improve over the last several weeks and was rewarded with a solid midweek showing.

“The biggest thing we’ve been working on in bullpens is balancing the ball on both sides of the plate,” Allsup said postgame. “That’s been a really challenging thing so far, and to be able to come out here and produce like we were wanting is a really big thing.”

Auburn broke the game open in the 3rd inning by posting eight runs on five hits. Following a balk to put the Tigers up, 1-0, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag], and [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] each scored runs on RBI doubles while [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] scored one run on a single.

Auburn added insurance in the final two innings. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly that was deep enough to score Freeman from 3rd base in the 6th inning. Auburn’s final two runs came across the plate in the 7th inning on a solo home run by [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] and an RBI single by [autotag]Eric Guevara[/autotag].

Auburn hits the road this weekend to face LSU at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. Game one of the SEC series will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn clinches weekend series with Saturday win over Eastern Kentucky

Bobby Peirce recorded three RBI while Joseph Gonzalez tossed five innings in Saturday’s 6-1 win at Plainsman Park.

It was a cold day on the Plains, but the Auburn bats were hot.

[autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] recorded two hits as Auburn (2-0) claimed the first series win of the season by defeating Eastern Kentucky (0-2), 6-1 Saturday at Plainsman Park.

Auburn’s offense began, and ended, with Peirce on Saturday. Peirce put Auburn on the board first with a two-out triple in the 3rd inning to score [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] to push Auburn ahead, 2-0. He put a cap on scoring in the bottom of the 8th inning with a solo home run to extend Auburn’s lead to 6-1.

Ike Irish was Auburn’s offensive hero in Friday’s opener, and Peirce took control in game two. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] is pleased with the versatility of his offense through two games and hopes to see the trend continue.

“Two outs, two strikes, and (Peirce) hit that triple to get us going,” Thompson said Saturday. “We really needed that. I hope that this is an offense that we can keep talking about a different guy every night. I hope that’s how we’re built.”

Following Peirce’s triple in the 3rd inning, [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] crushed his first home run of the season over the right field wall to extend Auburn’s lead to 4-0. Auburn’s fifth run of the game came off the bat of Hernandez, who grounded out to the shortstop to allow [autotag]Sam Robertson[/autotag] to score from 3rd base.

Eastern Kentucky’s lone run was scored in the 5th inning when DJ Sullivan doubled home Santiago Peralta. Sullivan led the Colonels in hits with two.

Saturday also marked the return of [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] to the mound after missing 364 days due to a shoulder injury. He struck out two batters, walked three, and allowed an unearned run in five complete innings. [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag], [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag], and [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] combined to strikeout seven batters through the final four innings from the bullpen. Every out that Cannon recorded in the 9th inning was a strikeout.

The Tigers go for the sweep of Eastern Kentucky Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Auburn’s [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] will battle EKU’s Rian Yates on the mound.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn defeats Missouri in SEC Tournament opener, sets up date with Vanderbilt

Auburn has now won nine games in a row, and now has a seat in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament bracket.

The No. 5 seed Auburn Tigers’ hot streak continued late Tuesday night, as they took care of No. 12 seed Missouri in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, 10-4. The win is Auburn’s seventh in a row and the fourth straight win over the Tigers from Columbia.

After sweeping Missouri last weekend at Plainsman Park, Auburn picked up where they left off by knocking out Missouri in a come-from-behind effort. Missouri struck first on a sacrifice fly by Ross Lovich in the 2nd inning to give Missouri the 1-0 lead. Auburn answered in the bottom of the 3rd by scoring three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly.

Auburn’s 3-1 lead was shortlived as Missouri would score three more runs in the top of the 4th to re-take the lead, 4-3. However, in the bottom half of the 4th, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] decided that his team would not relinquish another lead. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single to score [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], and he would later score on a three-run blast by Foster that sailed over the right field wall and deep into the Hoover night to put Auburn ahead, 7-4.

After that home run, Auburn returned to its’ comfort zone.

“Cole Foster’s home run allowed us to exhale and get back to playing our brand of baseball,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said Tuesday. “We got enough and did enough. Thankful to come out here and get a win.”

Auburn would score three more insurance runs in the 8th inning to seal the victory. Peirce added an RBI while [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] crushed his 22nd home run of the season, which was of the two-run variety.

“I knew that guy had a high spin rate fastball and he was going to try to blow me up with it,” Ware said. “I just told myself I was going to be on time for it. Thankfully, I got enough of it to get it out of here.”

[autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] got the start for Auburn and went 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on two hits. [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] got the win out of the bullpen with 3.0 innings of shutout work, and [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] got the save by turning in a 2.1-inning effort. All three pitchers combined to strike out 11 Missouri batters.

With the win, Auburn is now in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament bracket. Their next matchup is with No. 4 seed Vanderbilt, which will take place at approximately 8 p.m. CT Wednesday.

RELATED: Schedule, Broadcast information for the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover

Here’s a broadcast guide/preview of Wednesday’s game.

Auburn completes sweep of Missouri, ends regular season on 8-game winning streak

The Tigers are playing their best baseball right at the start of postseason play.

The Auburn Tigers are officially red-hot. 

After taking both games in Friday’s doubleheader over Missouri, they had a chance to sweep their second straight SEC series. It wasn’t looking good as they entered the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 7-4 in Plainsman Park Saturday.

As it has all season Auburn’s offense came alive when they needed it most, exploding for five runs to take a commanding 9-7 lead and win the game. Auburn secured its fifth straight SEC series win and ended the season on an eight-game winning streak with the comeback. They are now 33-19-1 overall and 17-13 in league play.

“We absolutely played hard and kept going,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “When it opened up and we got an opportunity, we made the most of it.”

[autotag]Brody Wortham[/autotag] started the eighth inning off with a single and came around to score on a [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] double to get the scoring started. [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] then singled Stanfield home to pull Auburn within one. 

[autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] followed up a [autotag]Bobby Pierce[/autotag] strikeout with a double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs for [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag]. Missouri decided to intentionally walk him to load the bases for freshmen [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag]. 

Before he could do anything the Missouri pitcher threw a wild pitch that allowed Foster to score and make it a 7-7 game. 

Irish then put Auburn ahead with a two-RBI single to make it a 9-7 game.

“We battled and we fought, we figured some stuff out and it’s all come together here lately,” Irish said. “I was not trying to do too much, stay with my approach and put the ball in play, especially with two strikes. They shifted on me and I hit it where they weren’t, and we got one to sneak through.”

He finished the game with a pair of doubles and two RBI.

Auburn was playing catchup the whole game after Missouri scored three runs in the first inning. They got two of the runs back in the second inning after [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] and Stanfield hit sacrifice flies to score Irish and [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], respectively.

Missouri added a run in the top of the third but Pierce responded with a double and scored on a Ware single to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Missouri then played small ball in the fourth to get their fifth run of the game. They led the inning off with a bunt single, advanced on a ground out and scored on a two-out double.

The home Tigers quickly responded when [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] led the home half of the inning off with a solo home run to make it 5-4. Both pitching staffs settled in after that, Auburn reliever [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] retired the next 10 batters he saw before allowing a single and then a home run in the eighth.

The lefty allowed two runs in 3.2 innings of work and struck out three and gave his offense a chance to get back in the game.

“I just wanted to go out there and fill up the zone and give my offense a chance to get back in this game, which obviously they did,” Bauman said. “Coming back on a short day’s rest, I wanted to keep it easy, let my defense work, which is what I try to do, and it ended up working out pretty well.”

[autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] entered in the eighth and the only runner he allowed was one he hit. He struck out one batter as he earned the win.

Auburn has not lost an SEC game since May 5 and is set to open its SEC Tournament run on Tuesday against Missouri.

[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=691343809]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.