It’s dangerous to count the Auburn baseball team out.

When the Tigers were swept in their SEC-opening series at Florida, some observers wondered if AU could bounce back this weekend against No. 16 Kentucky. AU did just that, winning the first two games of the series.

Things once again looked dark in Sunday’s series finale, when Kentucky’s powerful offense snapped out of its slump and handed the Wildcats a sizeable early lead.

But Auburn never quit, clawing back from a steep deficit before falling just short in its final at-bat in a 9-8 loss.

And while the Tigers couldn’t finish off the three-game sweep, shortstop Matt Hall believes they made a statement all the same.

“It’s huge,” Hall said. “We started the game a little bit slow, but we turned it on. It just shows what type of team we have, to come back from a 9-2 deficit and make it a ballgame at the end.”

Auburn (14-9, 2-4 SEC) hasn’t swept an SEC opponent since 2003.

But head coach Tom Slater gave his team credit for fighting back after a rough start.

“I love the way my kids are playing right now,” Slater said. “They’re really playing the game the right way. I think that anybody that watched us play this weekend saw that.”

Kentucky (20-2, 4-2) led, 9-2, after the sixth inning. Auburn’s pitching staff, which mostly kept the Wildcats in check in the first two games, looked tired.

Starter Luke Greinke (2-2) lasted just three innings and gave up five runs. Relievers Michael Hurst and Evan Crawford each surrendered two runs.

But the Tigers weren’t finished.

AU cut into the lead with a 5-run seventh inning. Brian Fletcher hit a three-run home run with one out to narrow the gap to 9-5.

With two outs, David Cunningham reached on an error; Tony Caldwell followed with a single.

That brought up Hall, who pounded a 3-2 pitch into the gap in left field for a two-run triple, cutting the lead to 9-7.

AU pulled within a run in the eighth inning when Mike Bianucci scored on a Trent Mummey sacrifice fly.

And the rally continued in the ninth, when pinch-hitter Justin Jones earned a leadoff walk. Jones advanced to second on a bunt and took third on a groundout.

But there, with the tying run 90 feet from home plate, AU’s luck ran out. Kentucky reliever Brock Baber (1-0) forced Mummey into a groundout to end the game and save the Wildcats from a sweep.

The comeback wasn’t quite enough for a win. But Slater believes it speaks volumes about his team’s ability to compete in the SEC.

“I loved our energy,” Slater said. “I loved the way we played. Our kids really thought we were going to win that game, the whole time. … They really believed in themselves.”

Auburn hosts Mercer on Tuesday and plays at Samford on Wednesday. AU’s next SEC series is next weekend against Tennessee at Plainsman Park.

There’s still plenty of season to play — the Tigers have another 24 regular-season SEC games, plus nine nonconference games. But this weekend’s 2-1 rebound after an 0-3 start to conference play is reason for optimism, according to Slater.

“We like our club; we certainly like the way we played this weekend,” he said. “As long as we come out and play with energy, we think we’ll give ourselves chances to win.”

And there is another reason for optimism: Ace right-hander Paul Burnside could make his first appearance of the season in one of this week’s midweek games. Burnside hasn’t yet played this season thanks to a broken collarbone suffered in December.

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