What Auburn baseball has to do to bounce back, beat Coastal Carolina in super regional
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AUBURN — The season is officially on the line for Auburn baseball.
The Tigers, hosting their first super regional at Plainsman Park, fell to Coastal Carolina in Game 1, losing a weather-delayed heartbreaker, 7-6, in extra-innings that concluded in the early hours June 7.
"We had a chance in the bottom of the ninth there and didn't push it across the finish line," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. "We're going to have to pick one of those moments of execution there to finish it off against a team that's now won 22 games in a row."
While Auburn (41-19) mustered a five-run comeback in regulation, it was clear from the onset what plagued it in the series-opening defeat. As the Tigers look to bounce back against Coastal Carolina (52-11) on June 7, (2 p.m. CT, ESPN2) here are two things that must change if Auburn wants to mount a super regional comeback.
Auburn baseball's lineup can't keep stranding runners
Runners left on base can sometimes hold arbitrary meaning. But in the case of the super regional opener, it made a lot of difference for Auburn, which stranded eight runners to Coastal Carolina's five.
The Tigers stranded what would've been the game-winning run in the ninth, after an impressive double play from Chanticleers second baseman Blake Barthol, but six of their stranded runners were logged in the first frames.
The most damaging part of Auburn's night at the plate was its failure to hit with runners on. It was 2 for 16 (.125) with runners on base, it mustered just one hit in 10 opportunities with runners in scoring position.
Auburn baseball's starting pitchers can't keep scuffling
Sam Dutton's start was less than ideal, as the Auburn ace lasted just 3⅔ innings. He was tacked for six of Coastal Carolina's 10 hits, and he gave up six of their seven runs. That included three home runs, against a team that has averaged about one long ball per contest.
Thompson didn't announce a starter for Game 2, but whomever he turns to needs to turn in a longer, stronger outing.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What Auburn baseball must do for super regional comeback vs. CCU
