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Tennessee beats Auburn 5-4 in 11 innings, setting up game three rubber match

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•05/04/25•

_Cainer

Chris Newstrom. Credit: Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Chris Newstrom. Credit: Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nothing has gone according to plan schedule wise for Tennessee and Auburn this weekend, but one thing that is staying consist is the playing of a game three rubber match for the Vols.

Thanks to Chris Newstrom’s pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, No. 12 Tennessee (37-10, 14-9 SEC) walked it off over the No. 10 Tigers (32-15, 12-11 SEC) 5-4 to complete the Saturday suspended game two of the series on Sunday afternoon.

Game 3 for Tennessee and Auburn is set for 2:30 PM ET on Sunday afternoon. SEC rules dictate a seven-inning game if another game has to be completed on Sundays. It will be the sixth rubber match of the season for the Vols and the fourth-straight weekend it’s all coming down to a Sunday a ballgame.   

Game 2 was suspended one pitch into the top of the 10th inning on Saturday with the score knotted at 4-4. Dalton Bargo’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth tied things up after the Tigers took a 4-3 lead in the top of the frame.  

Liam Doyle (W, 8-2) earns the win after tossing the two extra inning frames, allowing just one hit, two walks but with three strikeouts over34 total pitches. Andrew Fischer and Hunter Ensley led off the bottom of the 11th with consecutive singles and then Levi Clark was walked to load the bases a batter later with one away.

Tony Vitello elected to play matchup, pulling the left-handed hitting Reese Chapman in favor of the right-handed hitting freshman Newstrom. It paid off as the single up the middle scored Fischer with the infield playing in.

The Vols were down 2-0 after the first inning in Saturday’s second game, Auburn scored two runs on three hits off Tennessee starter Marcus Phillips.

Hunter Ensley tied the game in the third with a two-run single to right center, but was thrown out at second after trying to stretch the single into a double.

Auburn went ahead 3-2 on after Irish reached on an error, stole second, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Bargo tied it in the seventh with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Dean Curley.

Phillips went 4.1 innings, giving up three runs — two earned — on five hits. He had four strikeouts and two walks. Dylan Loy replaced Phillips in the fifth and went a season-long 3.2 innings, giving up the go-ahead run after Auburn started the top of the ninth with a double down the right-field line, the only hit Loy allowed. 

Friday’s game was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m., moved up to 5:30 because of impending weather, then delayed until 8 p.m. because of lightning in the area. 

The game started at 8:02, but lasted just half an inning. Auburn took a 2-0 lead on an Ike Irish home run off Tennessee ace Liam Doyle, then the game was called before the bottom of the first could get started. 

Samuel Dutton started for Auburn and went 6.2 innings in Saturday’s first game, giving up one run on four hits while striking out eight and not allowing a walk.

Tennessee got a single and double from Bargo and Levi Clark had an RBI double, but that was all the offense the Vols could muster in the loss to start Saturday. 

In total, there have been four rain delays in the series thus far.

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