Auburn avoided the Missouri sweep Saturday with a 16-hit performance from the offense on its way to a 7-3 win.
"What a difference a day makes," head coach Sunny Golloway said. "I thought our approach was really good."
Michael O'Neal picked up his second win today improving to 2-2 on the season.
"Michael stayed tough when they took the lead on us, and he battled," Golloway said.
O'Neal gave up a single and double to start off the game but was able to escape the inning scoreless.
Jordan Ebert and Damek Tomscha kept their hot hitting streaks alive in the bottom of the first when Tomscha hit an RBI single to score Ebert, who led off with a single.
Missouri took the 2-1 lead in the top of the third with two base hit RBIs, one being earned on O'Neal, but the other was not earned because of an error by second baseman Ebert. Auburn was able to keep it at only two runs because of an inning-ending double play.
Blake Austin led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and Daniel Robert advanced Austin to third with a single to the centerfield gap. With no outs, Keegan Thompson delivered with a base hit RBI to score Austin and tie it up. Sam Gillikin advanced the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Then Auburn regained the lead with an RBI single by J.J. Shaffer. Damon Haecker kept it going with another base hit RBI to make it 4-2.
Missouri led off the sixth with two hard-hit singles, which caused Jay Wade to come in from the bullpen to replace O'Neal.
With two runners on and no outs, Wade finished off the sixth with two strikeouts and a pop fly out.
Shaffer led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple down the right field line and Ebert brought him home with an RBI single. With two outs and Ebert on second, Graves was taken out for Andrew Schwaab. Tomscha hit another single to advance Ebert to third and Austin brought both of them home with a two-RBI single to make it 7-2.
In the ninth, Missouri then got their third run across because of an error by Haecker, but Wade got the last out of the game to earn his first save of the year.
"A sweep is as disheartening as it gets," Wade said. "It's great to get a win. We would have liked to win the series, but [Missouri is] a heck of a ball club."
After this weekend's series Auburn goes to 19-10 overall and 5-4 in the SEC. Auburn's next game is this Tuesday, April 1 at home at 6 p.m. against Samford.
"It's almost like a death sentence to get swept in this league that's so tough," Golloway said. "We learned a lot about our club this weekend."
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