First-year head baseball coach Sunny Golloway said after Auburn's last preseason scrimmage that the most important game the Tigers play all year might be their first game.
On Friday, the Tigers took care of business to kick off the Golloway Era at Auburn.
The Tigers started the season strong by defeating Indiana State 4-0 on the first day of the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Right-hander Dillon Ortman started his senior campaign on the mound with a win, pitching a scoreless five complete innings, while allowing five hits and striking out three batters.
Freshman Damon Haecker had the first hit of the season in the top of the second inning, an RBI single that drove in Jordan Ebert for the Tigers' first run of the year.
The score remained 1-0 in Auburn's favor until the sixth inning, when senior catcher Blake Austin hit a two-RBI single scoring both Damek Tomscha and Keegan Thompson.
In the bottom of the sixth, redshirt sophomore Justin Camp came in to relieve Ortman and stayed on the mound for the rest of the game, pitching four scoreless innings on his way to earning the save.
Auburn's fourth and final run of the day came in the seventh inning. The Tigers showcased their bunting skills, which they had been working on throughout preseason scrimmages.
Thompson laid down a well-executed bunt to score fellow freshman J.J. Shaffer from third base.
Auburn's next game in the Snowbird Classic is tomorrow, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. against Ohio State. Senior left-hander Michael O'Neal will start on the mound for the Tigers.
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