AUBURN, Ala. — Cole Nelson’s debut as Auburn’s No. 1 starter is one he’d rather soon forget.

Defending national champion LSU scored six runs in a 12-batter, 31-minute first inning, chasing Nelson before he even recorded an out in a 14-10 win against Auburn at Plainsman Park Friday.

“They jumped us very early in the game and put us on our heels,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “It was obvious that it was not going to be one of his nights.”

Nelson, a 6-foot-7, 248-pound left-hander who transferred from Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College, replaced Cory Luckie at the front of Auburn’s weekend rotation after establishing himself as the Tigers’ most effective pitcher through the first half of the season.

But Friday, by all measures, was an unmitigated disaster. Nelson (4-2) faced eight batters, allowing seven hits and six runs. He was pulled after only 35 pitches, trailing 6-0.

LSU (26-4, 8-2 SEC), which has won 12 of its last 13 games, did its damage with a mixture of solid hitting and good luck in its first turn at bat.

A single by Tyler Hanover narrowly missed hitting leadoff man Mikie Mahtook as it bounced into left field. Pawlowski argued the call to no avail, setting the stage for a big inning.

Back-to-back RBI singles by Blake Dean and Micah Gibbs made it 2-0. Matt Gaudet followed by lofting a fly ball to shallow right field that Auburn’s fielders lost in the sky, letting it drop for a single to load the bases.

After Leon Landry beat out a chopper to first for an RBI infield single, Austin Nola ripped a two-run double to right-center to make it 5-0.

Mason Katz finished the scoring with an RBI single up the middle that ended Nelson’s night.

“We felt like we just needed to change it up at that point, maybe change up our luck,” Pawlowski said. “Unfortunately we didn’t pitch it very well in that part of the game.”

Nelson, who had allowed only six earned runs in his first three SEC starts, watched his league ERA jump from 2.79 to 5.59.

When reliever Slade Smith got No. 9 hitter Grant Dozar to ground out to first for the first out of the inning, the season-high crowd of 3,751 responded with a Bronx cheer.

Auburn (20-11, 5-5 SEC) rallied late, but it wasn’t enough. Designated hitter Trent Mummey, in his third game back from a severe ankle sprain that kept him out the season’s first six weeks, hit a grand slam to right-center during a five-run eighth.

The Tigers added two more in the ninth and had two runners reach base before reliever Chris Cotton closed things out, getting Justin Hargett and Mummey to fly out to end the game.

LSU starter Anthony Ranaudo (1-0) earned the win, giving up three runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked three.

The visiting Tigers finished with 17 hits. Gibbs went 4-for-5. Landry and Nola drove in three runs apiece.

The teams meet in the second game of the series today at 3 p.m. ET. LSU sends left-hander Chris Matulis (5-0, 2.57 ERA) to the mound. Auburn has not named a starter.