After 11 innings, the Auburn Tigers find themselves on the brink of elimination, and the end of the season.

The Tigers couldn’t overcome a three-run 11th inning by fourth-seeded Penn in a 6-3 loss that sends Auburn into an elimination game against Southern Miss at 2 p.m. at Plainsman Park.

Ryan Taylor drove in Jarrett Pokrovsky with a one-out double that sailed over left fielder Chris Stanfield’s leaping attempt.

“We were not resilient enough,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “We’ll have to bounce back and get back out there tomorrow with our backs against the wall.”

Penn’s subsequent two runs were scored on bunts by Calvin Brown and Cole Palis to give Penn a 6-3 lead, with Auburn having one more turn at bat.

“I have to give those guys a lot of credit,” Thompson said. “They played sound baseball. They worked hard.”

In his fourth at-bat, Jackson Appel gave Penn a 3-2 lead when he sent a 1-0 pitch sailing over the rightfield wall into the Quaker bullpen for a home run. Appel drove in Cole Palis, who reached on a two-out walk against Tiger reliever Tanner Bauman.

Auburn carried a 2-1 run lead into the eighth after scoring two runs in the sixth inning. Penn starter Ryan Drombowski was rolling through five innings with eight strikeouts until Bryson Ware drew a one-out walk. Freshman Ike Irish singled, and Ware moved over a base. Bobby Peirce walked to load the bases.

Auburn pushed Drombowski off the mound in the sixth with one out.

Penn scored the first run in the fourth inning on Wyatt Henseler’s double that drove in Appel with no outs against Auburn starter Chase Allsup. Appel’s leadoff single was the first Quaker hit of the game. Appel finished the contest 3-for-3 with a walk, including the eighth inning two-out-two-run home run.

Auburn tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a bases-loaded walk by pinch-hitter Brody Moss. Kason Howell drew a two-out walk with Cooper McMurray on first. McMurray reached on a fielder’s choice. Brody Worthman got hit by a pitch to load the bases before Moss drove in the tying run with the walk.

Any chance of Auburn returning to the College World Series would take a win against Southern Miss who lost the opening game of the Auburn regional to Samford, 4-2 in extra innings.

Auburn will likely start Tommy Vail in the elimination game. Vail is 5-1 on the season. Auburn has won 14 of the 16 games Vail pitched this season. He leads the team in ERA (3.46), strikeouts (77), innings pitched (65), and batting average against (.181).

“Vail would be the logical pick,” Thompson said. “He’s likely who the players would want with our backs against the wall. We’ll figure it out, but you can mark Vail down as the probable starter.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.