STARKVILLE, Miss. — The No. 20 Auburn baseball team spotted Mississippi State an eight-run lead in the first and was never able to seriously threaten thereafter, falling 15-8 on Saturday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field. The loss dropped Auburn’s record to 14-9, 2-3 SEC while Mississippi State improved to 17-6, 3-2 SEC.

“We didn’t get out of the gates real well and that’s hard to overcome a big deficit like that. They put some quality swings on it and put together a big inning,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “We will regroup, flush this one out of our system and try and win one here, which is obviously a very important game tomorrow.”

Will Irvin (3-1) allowed seven of the eight first-inning runs, allowing six hits and a walk while only recording two outs.

Chris Stratton (4-1) was the beneficiary of all of Mississippi State’s early runs, working 7 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks, and striking out five to pick up the win.

Casey McElroy extended his hitting streak to 18 games, with his fifth-inning RBI single, finishing the game 1-for-5 with two RBI and a run.

Cullen Wacker (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Bobby Andrews (2-for-2, 2B, R) each had two hits for Auburn, which lost a SEC series for the first time since losing two-of-three at Vanderbilt April 16-18 last season, winning six straight.

Ryan Collins went 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for Mississippi State while Daryl Norris (3-for-5, 2B, 3 R), Jonathan Ogden (3-for-4, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R) and Adam Frazier (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R) each had three hits for Mississippi State.

Mississippi State used just two extra-base hits in its eight-run first and just one in the second, instead peppering the Irvin and reliever Slade Smith for 11 singles and a walk en route to 21 total base hits, the most Auburn has allowed this season.

Auburn will try to salvage the final game of the series today when it sends junior righthander Derek Varnadore (3-0, 3.09 ERA) to the mound.

Mississippi State will start Nick Routt (0-0, 2.70).