Auburn third baseman Bryson Ware’s two-run ninth-inning home run brought the Tigers tantalizingly close to victory. However, Auburn’s trio of long balls weren’t enough to prevent the Tigers from losing 6-4 against Vanderbilt in the double-elimination portion of the 2023 SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Met.

Wednesday night’s loss means the Tigers will have to regroup quickly in preparation for an elimination game in the afternoon (pitch time slated for 1 p.m.) against rival Alabama.

The two teams met in their lone series back in April with Alabama winning two of the three games in the series that took place in Tuscaloosa.

Tigers shortstop Cole Foster’s home run in the top of the first opened up the scoring for Auburn. The Tiger advantage wouldn’t last through the next half-inning. Vandy centerfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. put on a baserunning clinic with Auburn starting pitcher Chase Allsup on the mound.

Bradfield Jr. stole second and third base on consecutive pitches, a Davis Diaz single scored Bradfield Jr. to make it a 1-1 game, Diaz eventually crossed home plate himself to give the Commodores a lead they would not relinquish.

Auburn infielder Chris Stanfield’s 418-foot blast tied the game at two in the third inning. Allsup got past his first inning struggles with fourth consecutive scoreless frames. Vanderbilt scored a run on a fielder’s choice by Troy LaNeve with the bases loaded to drive in Diaz, breaking a 2-2 deadlock, giving Vandy a 3-2 lead.

Vanderbilt relief pitcher Patrick Reilly took over for starter Sam Hliboki in the fifth inning. Auburn struggled to score against Reilly until Ware’s ninth-inning two-run home run to open the door for a comeback before it was eventually slammed shut, putting the Tigers on the brink of elimination in a matter of hours, against their biggest rival.

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.