Patterson's home run rallied the Tigers over Ole Miss
Kevin Patterson delivered a game-winning, three-run, pinch-hit home run in the top of the eighth that propelled No. 16 Auburn to a 5-3, come-from-behind win at No. 17 Ole Miss on Thursday night and inch the Tigers closer to their first SEC West Division title since 1995.
“(Drew) Pomeranz was throwing well and I am usually a guy that goes against righties, so when I saw them going to the bullpen I thought I would get my shot,” Patterson said. “Fortunately, guys were on base and he (Brett Huber) hung an off-speed pitch. I figured I was going to see some fastballs but luckily it was up in my letters and I was able to get a hold of it.”
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Auburn will have to wait another day to punch its ticket to Hoover.
That’s because Tennessee threw some early body blows to punch out the Tigers, 9-3, on Friday night at Plainsman Park.
Auburn sits one win — or one Alabama loss — away from clinching a berth in the SEC Tournament, something it hasn’t done since 2003.
“Yeah, it’s pretty disappointing,” shortstop Casey McElroy said. “We just got beat. We just have to come out tomorrow and go for it again. We’re going to give it our best effort.”
The Tigers (33-17, 15-10) got Tennessee starting pitcher Stephen McCray’s best effort Friday, as the senior Vols right-hander kept the Tigers off balance all night.
McCray went 7 1/3 innings, giving up 9 hits, but pitching out of numerous jams to keep the Vols (29-21, 12-13) in the hunt for the SEC Tournament, as they currently sit in the eighth-and-final spot.
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When John Pawlowski tells a pitcher he’s been delegated to bullpen duty, he doesn’t consider it a demotion.
“You see a lot of clubs’ guys are resentful in the fact that they have to go to the bullpen,” Pawlowski said. “I look at it as a positive to know that you can help our club more than one time in the course of the week.”
Pawlowski, as the Tigers hope to clinch a berth in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2003 this weekend against Tennessee, said he’s fortunate to have an entire bullpen that has embraced its role this season.
It’s hard not to in the hitting-dominant SEC, where bullpens have had to be armed and ready all season from the first pitch on Fridays to the final outs on Sundays.
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Kyndall White and the Lady Tigers are looking to make it into the NCAA Tourney
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The fifth-ranked Florida Gators scored nine unearned runs, eight coming in the fifth inning, to oust the Auburn softball team from the SEC Tournament with a 9-1 victory Thursday afternoon.
Auburn dropped to 31-24 with the loss, while Florida improved to 43-7. The Tigers will now await word on a possible NCAA Tournament bid, which will be announced Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
“We got off to a good start with Kyndall’s home run,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “But you can’t give a team like Florida extra outs.
They took advantage of what we gave them.”
Stephanie Brombacher earned the win to improve to 29-5. Brombacher threw all five innings, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
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