Alabama Scores Two in Ninth, Downs Tigers 8-6
Alabama Scores Two in Ninth, Downs Tigers 8-6 May 21, 2005 Auburn -- Alabama scored two runs in the top of the ninth to defeat Auburn, 8-6, in a back-and-fourth game on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park. With the loss, Auburn drops to 32-23, 13-16 SEC while Alabama moves to 36-19, 16-13 SEC. “It was really a well-played, hard-fought ball game by both teams,” AU Coach Tom Slater said. “Neither team gave in and both battled back time-and-time again. I am real proud of the way our team answered after giving up the lead, but credit Alabama for coming back in the ninth and answering us. It was just a great college baseball game with both teams really getting after each other.” Auburn jumped on top 3-0 early and rode the arm of starting pitcher Josh Sullivan for five innings before Alabama rallied to tie the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth. Auburn’s three runs came in the first as a Josh Bell single up the middle was sandwiched by walks to Clete Thomas and Karl Amonite. Designated hitter Jeff Boutwell drove in two with a double to center and Josh Donaldson’s groundout to second made it a 3-0 Auburn lead. After the Crimson Tide knotted the game at 3-3 in the top half of the sixth, Donaldson stroked his fifth home run of the year over the wall in right in the bottom half to put the Tigers up a run. Again Alabama answered, this time scoring three in the top of the eighth for a 6-4 lead, but that too was short-lived as the Tigers plated two in the bottom half of the frame as Amonite and Boutwell drew walks and scored on pinch-hitter Russell Dixon’s RBI single through the right-side and centerfielder Bruce Edwards RBI chopper over the drawn-in infield. Zac Welch led off the ninth with a single to right and moved to second on a Cale Iorg sacrifice bunt. Morrow Thomley then pinch-ran for Welch at second, moved up to third on an Allen Rice single to right and scored on a passed ball. A Rocky Scelfo RBI single to score Rice padded the UA lead. Edwards had the lone multi-hit game for the Tigers, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI while both Boutwell (1-for-3) and Donaldson (1-for-4) drove in two runs. Amonite finished 0-for-2 with three walks and two runs. Sullivan gave the Tigers another solid outing, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in six full innings of work. David Robertson (7-4) earned the win for the Tide as he surrendered two runs on two hits in two innings of relief. Reliever Michael Nix (5-3) took the loss for the Tigers as the right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits in two full innings of work. The loss puts the Tigers in a three-way tie with Vanderbilt and Arkansas for the eighth seed for next week’s SEC Tournament. The three teams sit a half-game behind Mississippi State (13-15 SEC) as the four teams will fight for the final two tournament spots on Sunday. Vanderbilt plays host to Florida in a 1 p.m. contest in Nashville while Arkansas plays host to Ole Miss, also at 1 p.m. CT. Mississippi State plays host to LSU at 1:30 p.m. in Starkville. Auburn will throw sophomore RHP Jared Shore (1-1, 3.61 ERA) in Sunday’s contest on the Plains while Alabama will counter with either junior RHP T. J. Large (6-4, 3.06) or junior RHP Jordan Davis (5-2, 3.50). First pitch is set for 1:06 p.m. CT and can be seen live on CSS-TV. ALABAMA 8, Auburn 6 (May 21, 2005 at Auburn, Ala.)
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