AUBURN, Ala. — The Mississippi State University baseball team last won a baseball series at Auburn University in 2004.
MSU will have that opportunity against at 1 p.m. today when the teams meet in the rubber game of a weekend three-game Southeastern Conference series.
MSU saw its opportunity to clinch the series early slip away Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs fell down six runs before a late rally came up short in a 10-6 loss to the No. 24 Tigers before a crowd of 3,522 at Plainsman Park.
“It is a matter of executing,” MSU sophomore shortstop Adam Frazier said. “We had the focus. We had the intensity. We just have to find a way to execute to two days in a row. We show glimpses of what we can do. If we learn how to execute consistently, we are going to be a hard team to beat.
“I felt like we should have won the series today. Instead, we have to make sure we do Sunday. We will have to come out and bring it.”
MSU was in the same position a week ago at home against the No. 3 University of Arkansas. MSU had a nice feeling after a solid series win Friday night, only to see a poorly-pitched, poorly-fielded effort follow the next day. Arkansas took the series finale, 8-5 in 11 innings.
“Sunday’s game is really big, MSU coach John Cohen said. “If you want to join the elite in this league, you have to learn how to win series, especially on the road. We were in a position last week and did not get it done. Again, we are in a position this weekend.
“This game was a major disappointment because we didn’t pitch it well. That has not been being the case. We have done a solid job on the mound in all of the other conference games.”
Starting pitcher Nick Routt was lifted after facing two batters in the third inning. While Friday starter Chris Stratton is 6-0, Routt is 1-4. The Tigers tagged Routt for four hits and took advantage of three walks.
Auburn (16-11, 5-3 SEC) struck quickly with a single run in the first, two runs in the second, and three scores in the third for a lightning-quick 6-0 lead.
“Nick pitched well enough the first couple of innings,” Cohen said. “We made some defensive mistakes. We made silly mistakes and they came from guys who have not played in the SEC before. That is where we are with this ballclub.
“We are competing. We are busting our tails. Those couple of mistakes can get you down. After that, Nick couldn’t get the ball down in the zone. He will have to do that more consistently.”
The Bulldogs (18-10, 3-5) battled back. MSU chased ace Will Kendall with three runs in the seventh.
In that at-bat, Frazier started things with a leadoff walk. Mitch Slauter reached on an fielding error, scoring one. Trey Porter walked, while Hunter Renfroe singled. C.T. Bradford hit a sacrifice fly for one run, while Wes Rea ripped an RBI single for another.
In relief, Jay Wade got back-to-back outs and the Tigers moved back into good shape with four runs off three relievers in the home half of the seventh.
“Coach Cohen preaches never give up,” MSU senior outfielder Brent Brownlee said. “To be such a young team, battling back is extremely important. We are always going to fight. We are going to be there at the end. We just have to become more consistent.”
In the ninth, the Bulldogs scored three times again before leaving the bases loaded. Reliever Dillon Ortman got Renfroe to strike out swinging on a full-count pitch to end the matter.
“Our kids are competing but we are giving away too many at-bats in the middle of our order,” Cohen said. “We have too many guys in the lineup who can’t evaluate breaking pitches. We may have to give up some defensive prowess to get more players in the lineup who can evaluate breaking ball pitches. We have to do a better job of that.”
One Bulldog not having an issue with any type of pitch is Frazier. With two hits and three walks Saturday, Frazier has reached base safely in 14 of his last 15 plate appearances. Frazier was the lone MSU multiple hitter Saturday afternoon.
“Every time (Frazier) bats, I wish I could gather the whole lineup together and say watch him,” Cohen said. “We really need nine Adam Fraziers if we want to move this thing forward. He does a great job of evaluating pitches. He hardly ever has a bad at-bat.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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