The runs flowed as freely as the 50 cent hot dogs Tuesday night at Plainsman Park as the Auburn Baseball team defeated Troy 16-3.
The Tigers slammed five home runs in the game, two of which came from junior infielder Hunter Morris. Morris was 4-5 against the Trojans and has 13 home runs on the season.
"I came out, and I was seeing the ball well from the first pitch of the game," Morris said. "Tonight I tried to come out and relax and just trust what my hands were doing, and it worked out very well."
The game began as junior pitcher Cole Nelson made quick work of the top of Troy's order, striking out Adam Bryant, Steven Felix and Chase Whitley.
Junior outfielder Justin Fradejas led off for the Tigers, bunting onto first and continuing his hitting streak to 19 games. Auburn had four bunt base hits Tuesday, two of which came from Fradejas.
As the Tigers continued on the offensive, Trent Mummey was drove in by a Morris double to put Auburn on the board. A shot up the middle by sophomore infielder Casey McElroy brought in two more, putting Auburn up by three at the end of the inning.
In the top of the second, Nelson pitched himself out of a corner, striking out Chad Watson with loaded bases and a full count to keep Troy scoreless.
"I just tried to come out and be as aggressive as I possibly could and not worry about trying to be too fine," Nelson said. "It was good to get in the stretch and work my way out of a 3-2 count with the bases loaded. I had to make those pitches where I needed to and it worked out well. It was a good experience."
A homer by junior outfielder Kevin Patterson in the fourth put Auburn up 4-0. After Fradejas' second bunt loaded the bases, junior outfielder Brian Fletcher was struck with a pitch to drive in another run.
Auburn hit its stride in the sixth, as Fletcher smacked a homer to left center to drive in Mummey and junior infielder Justin Hargett. The play was followed by Morris' first home run, which brought the score to 9-0.
"Hunter Morris had an outstanding game," said coach John Palowski. "He's matured so much as a hitter, but I think the biggest thing too is that he's confident in his ability. Tonight he hit every ball hard, and we did as a club, so there are a lot of positives to go with from tonight."
Patterson doubled to left center to bring in McElroy, followed by a single from senior catcher Ryan Jenkins that scored Patterson to end the inning at 11-0.
"I think we're in great position," Morris said. "Last year we were 7-8 at this point, which is only a one-game difference, but I feel a lot better about what we've done and where we're at at this point. For us to be where we're at, I feel comfortable with that, but you're never satisfied."
Though Troy's Steven Rosado doubled to score Blake Martz and end Auburn's shutout hopes, Auburn's sophomore outfielder Creede Simpson batted in Hargett for another run. Morris' second home run followed, which drove in Simpson to make it 14-1, breaking the most runs allowed by the Trojans all season.
"Obviously we swung the bats," Palowski said. "Hunter Morris had an outstanding game. I thought he squared up every ball he hit today, even the ball he made an out on, so there are some real positive things to take from today's ball game."
Jenkins singled to right to get on base at the bottom of the eighth, after which Hargett hit the evening's final Auburn home run and put it at 16-2.
The Tigers worked the bullpen against Troy, playing seven pitchers total,
"We've looked at the results, and we've done a good job of matching up guys when there are lefties coming up," Palowski said. "We don't know what we're going to do yet this weekend, but it certainly gives us another option."
Auburn returns to action this weekend in a three-game series against Kentucky. Game one begins Friday at 6:30 p.m.
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