AUBURN, Ala. – No. 14 Auburn put the tying run on base in ninth inning but ultimately dropped a 4-3 decision to Wofford Wednesday night at Plainsman Park.
The Tigers (13-5) held Wofford scoreless from the third inning on and plated three runs in the eighth to cut the deficit to one but ultimately left the tying run on base in the ninth.
"We fought hard here at the finish, about the seventh inning on," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We tried to fight and get back in the ballgame against a good team, and it was too little, too late."
Trailing 4-0 in the eighth, Kason Howell doubled off the wall in left field to put the Tigers on the scoreboard. Nate LaRue followed three batters later with a RBI single through the left side, and Judd Ward hit a sacrifice fly to left to make it a 4-3 ballgame.
Matt Scheffler singled in the ninth to put the tying run aboard but was left at first base to end the game.
While Auburn was making its comeback effort, a trio of relievers in freshmen Hayden Mullins and Seb Thomas along with senior Ryan Watson held Wofford scoreless and to just three hits in the last seven innings.
Wofford jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a run in the first and second innings followed by two more in the third.
Auburn left a pair of runners on in the second through fourth innings after Wofford made three running catches to end each inning down the right field line and gap in left center and right center to end the frames, respectively.
Conor Davis put a charge into one to center field with two on and one out in the fifth, but his brother, Colin Davis, went over the wall in center field to rob him of a three-run home run.
Steven Williams nearly tied the game with a solo home run to start the ninth, but the ball tailed just right of the right field foul pole.
Scheffler and Howell paced the Auburn offense with two hits apiece.
Auburn opens Southeastern Conference play with a three-game series against No. 23 Texas A&M (15-3) starting Friday at 6 p.m. CT.