The Auburn Tigers traveled to Atlanta on Tuesday, March 15, for a showdown against the No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. These teams met earlier this month in a game that ended with an Auburn loss by a score of 4-1. This time, however, was much different.
After a four-game offensive drought, the Tigers seem to have found their rhythm again using big offensive innings to win their last two games. Tonight’s win came after Auburn brought in nine runs at the top of the fourth. Auburn eventually walked out of Russ Chandler Stadium with a 14-3 victory.
This game marks the seventh time Auburn has scored 10 or more runs through the first 17 games. In 2015, the Tigers only posted 10 or more runs six times through 62 games.
The offensive stars of the game were Niko Buentello, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run, and Joshua Palacios, who was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a home run. Buentello’s two RBIs pushed his season total to 29, which leads the SEC.
Andrew Mitchell had another good showing on the mound with five innings pitched and nine strikeouts. With the win, Mitchell moved to 3-0 on the season. Marc Fraizer and Daniel Sprinkle each made appearances and pitched scoreless innings to close out the game and seal the win for the Tigers. Fraizer also recorded a season-high five strikeouts during his three innings.
“The last four days have been consistent offense,” said Auburn coach Butch Thompson. “Andrew Mitchell didn’t have his best stuff, but he just battled tonight. To give us a chance to go on the road to beat a team like Georgia Tech is positive. With our lineup, I could really talk about four or five guys, and that’s the way you want it. Everybody is passing up and down the lineup, and we are going to try and keep this going for as long as we possibly can.”
Auburn is back in action on Friday as it opens up SEC play hosting the No. 2 Texas A&M Aggies.
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