3 Key Takeaways From Auburn Baseball's Rain-Soaked Victory Over Tennessee

Even with persistent rainstorms, several lengthy delays, and some games needing to continue into the following day, Auburn’s baseball team experienced one of their most successful weekends of the season during their trip to Knoxville.

The Tigers secured the series victory against Tennessee by winning games one and three against the No. 12 Volunteers. Both victories were quite dominant, with their sole defeat occurring in extra innings when the game was paused due to suspension overnight and then restarted the following day.

Auburn has improved their record to 33-15 overall and 13-11 within the Southeastern Conference following their series victory, leaving only two more weekends of regular season games before the SEC Tournament commences.

Here are three key points from the Tigers' victory in Knoxville:

Unconventional but unbothered

Mother Nature did not favor Auburn or Tennessee over the weekend. Heavy rainfall from two storms impacted games on both Friday and Saturday, leading to delays and subsequent cancellations on each day.

Friday’s game caught the eye of many college baseball fans and observers, mainly for the matchup between ace pitchers Sam Dutton and Liam Doyle. However, that was cut short when the game was suspended in the first inning, with Doyle making his appearance and Dutton not even getting the chance to throw a pitch.

The match continued on Saturday morning with Auburn at an advantageous position since Dutton could still begin the game, whereas Doyle faced difficulties after being used up in Game 1 and only managed to pitch for two frames in Game 2.

Dutton was dominant as usual, pitching six and two thirds innings while giving up just one run on four hits, helping Auburn to a comfortable 6-1 win.

Dutton has consistently delivered for our team," head coach Butch Thompson stated in an announcement. "He put up another outstanding performance, pitching all the way through the seventh inning. This move enabled us to bring Ryan Hetzler into play directly. Facing a top-10 opponent, having both Dutton and Hetzler pitch without walking anyone gives us a real shot at winning right from the start of the first game.

Game 2 was back and forth, and it felt like Auburn was going to clinch the series win when Chase Fralick hit an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to give Auburn a 4-3 lead, but Tennessee’s Dalton Bargo answered with a solo home run to send the game into extra innings.

The bad weather struck again when Auburn was up to bat in the tenth, forcing another postponement and resumption the next day. When the game continued on Sunday afternoon, Doyle came back for two innings, and Tennessee ultimately secured victory with a walk-off hit in the 11th inning.

Auburn didn’t let the close loss in Game 2 linger, though, as it cruised to an 8-1 win in a shortened, seven-inning Game 3.

We played as though we'd claimed victory in all three matches, provided I can shield them from the outcome," Thompson stated. "Given what we've endured, it feels like every possible obstacle has crossed our path, yet we've consistently responded with 'okay.' If we persistently stay focused, we stand to benefit greatly from these two exceptionally well-executed games.

Rotation is coming together

Through the entire season, Sam Dutton has remained the steadfast pillar of Auburn’s pitching staff.

The LSU transfer is one of the top starting pitchers in the SEC, and is Auburn’s weekly Game 1 starter, a nod given to the staff’s ace. Behind Dutton, things have been shaky at times.

Florida transfer Cade Fisher has been No. 2 in the weekend rotation for most of the season, but some recent struggles caused him to lose that spot to Cam Tilly. Saturdays and Sundays often take require a team effort from Auburn’s bullpen, and it got that this weekend.

Tilly gave up two earned runs in two and two thirds innings in Game 2, but the rest of the bullpen gave up just three earned runs in Auburn’s 5-4 loss. However, the more impressive performance came in Game 3.

Christian Chatterton got the start, and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. He’s Auburn’s usual midweek starter, but Sunday’s performance was Chatterton’s fourth straight scoreless start.

Fisher relieved Chatterton to start the fourth inning, and was solid out of relief to finish the game. He pitched each of the remaining four innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits and one walk.

Getting consistent play from the bullpen late in series is difficult for most teams, but has been a struggle for Auburn in recent weekends. It got that and more against Tennessee, and that was the difference against a potent offense on the road.

Tigers in position

When Auburn faced off against Tennessee in their series, they were confidently positioned to secure hosting duties for an NCAA regional. Following their victory in two out of three games against the Volunteers, the possibility of earning a national seed and potentially hosting a super regional has become more feasible for the Tigers.

These victories boost Auburn’s record to 33-15 overall and 13-11 within SEC games, further enhancing their No. 3 RPI rating and maintaining their No. 2 strength of schedule.

These statistics provide Auburn with a good opportunity to secure one of the top eight seeds in the NCAA tournament, even though they are around the midpoint in theSEC standings.

Only two weekends remain in the regular season, with Auburn set to face South Carolina at home before traveling to Oxford for a series against Ole Miss. Winning those two series would put Auburn in prime position for a national seed, and that’s before the Tigers will have more chances to boost their resume in the SEC Tournament.

Peter Rauterkus reports on Auburn athletics for News in A Day . You can follow him on Twitter at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.co m

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