Auburn falls to Ole Miss

AUBURN — A Sunday mid-afternoon thunderstorm swooped on Plainsman Park, sending whatever was left of the 2,209 fans in attendance out the gates and prompting a near-heroic covering of the field by a shorthanded groundscrew.

What transpired 57 minutes later, with a handful of standing fans remaining, was an all-too-familiar ending to what have become all-too-familiar weekends.

Strike three — looking. Auburn loses.

That final Justin Hargett strikeout tied the club’s all-time record with seven games to play and capped yet another lopsided loss to Ole Miss. The 11-4 setback marked the Tigers’ seventh straight conference loss, their 10th of their last 11 and the third time being on the wrong end of a three-game sweep.

“Certainly a frustrating weekend for all of us,” coach John Pawlowski said.

The past few weeks have mimicked a trend of late-season swoons over the past five years, all of which ended with the Tigers not making the SEC Tournament.

The best Auburn has done since 2004 was its 4-9 end to the 2007 season.

The latest down weekend didn’t change much regarding Auburn’s status to make the SEC Tournament. It just gave the Tigers less time to figure out how to play competitively against its conference foes.

The Tigers dropped from ninth to 10th in the SEC standings, falling behind ninth-place Kentucky, but they remain two-and-a-half games behind Vanderbilt for the eighth and final spot. Auburn will travel to Kentucky for a three-game series next weekend.