Tigers extend their overall record to 20-12 after taking the Arkansas series 2-1 in the three-game weekend
Auburn Basesball: The Auburn baseball team is 20-12 overall with a 6-6 conference record as of Sunday. The team takes on South Carolina this weekend. Pete Riley / PHOTO EDITOR
Last weekend’s three-game series against Arkansas proved to be successful for the Auburn baseball team, whose high-intensity win Sunday afternoon clinched the series for the Tigers.
The closing game Sunday was the climax of the series as both teams had won a game of the series.
Arkansas lead by six runs going into the eighth inning when Auburn turned things around scoring four runs, taking the game into extra innings.
The Tigers came from behind to take the Razorbacks in Arkansas’ Baum Stadium with a 12-10 win in 10 innings.
Auburn Head Coach Tom Slater was proud of the tenacity his players showed throughout the game.
“All the credit to our players,” Slater said. “They never hung their heads, and they were in the game the entire time.”
Freshman Brian Fletcher from Fayetteville, Ga., was an integral factor in Auburn’s win Sunday, finishing the game 4-for-6 with a home run and 4 RBIs.
“Going to bat with the bases loaded is the situation I want to be in because they have to throw to me,” Fletcher said. “I got to take a hack at one, and luckily a bloop hit dropped in.”
In addition to Fletcher’s home run at the top of the second, Hunter Morris, a freshman from Huntsville, hit his fifth home run of the season during the inning. The two runs helped the Tigers close the gap to 3-2.
Fletcher’s home run continued his hitting streak to an impressive 10 games.
Sophomore Michael Hurst (2-1), from Vestavia, earned the win after shutting the Razorbacks out the final two innings.
“We have a great defense behind me,” Hurst said. “I knew if I threw strikes and let the defense do the work behind me, we would find a way to get the job done, and we did.”
Auburn rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to tie the score and push the game into extra innings.
Fletcher’s two RBI singles to right center field fueled the victory for the Tigers.
The win raised the Tigers to 20-12 overall and 6-6 in the SEC.
Saturday, despite three players going 2 for 4 at the plate, the Tigers let one slip away losing to the Razorbacks 5-4. Two Auburn errors helped the Razorbacks to the victory.
Joseph Sanders, Brian Fletcher and Ryan Jenkins each had two hits.
Starter Cory Luckie fell to 3-3, despite a strong pitching performance.
“Cory threw the ball really well for us and pitched his heart out,” Slater said.
Two throwing errors by Auburn in the bottom of the third allowed Arkansas to take a 2-1 lead.
Although Auburn was able to tie the score twice in later innings, Arkansas sealed the victory with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single in the seventh inning.
Red shirt-freshman Grant Dayton, from Huntsville, limited the Arkansas baseball team to two runs on five hits in six innings with Auburn winning the series opener last Friday night 5-2.
The win positioned Auburn for the lead in the SEC west, being 5 for 5 in conference play.
With the win, Dayton pushed his record to 4-1 in the season with a 3.38 ERA.
Fletcher started the scoring on Friday with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Jenkins scored an RBI double.
Hall went 2 for 3 giving Auburn a 4-2 lead in the top of the fourth with an RBI single scoring Fletcher from first base.
Auburn played Georgia State Tuesday evening and Mississippi Valley State Wednesday, however those games were not completed in time for this edition.
This weekend the Tigers will play South Carolina in a three-game series in Auburn.
