With the offensive struggles Auburn has had lately, it will take all the help it can get.
The Tigers entered their contest against UAB with a run scored in just 11 of its last 62 innings. The Blazers would help the Tigers’ cause early and often Tuesday night inside Plainsman Park.
UAB starter Isaiah Gonzales-Montoya hit three batters and walked two others to gift Auburn three runs in the bottom of the first inning, as the Tigers cruised to a 12-2 victory over the Blazers, winning back-to-back games for the first time since March 27 and March 30.
The Tigers tallied just one hit in the three-run inning, a two-out, two-run single by Conor Davis.
“Offensively, it’s good to see,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “Conor Davis has sat there for a few days and continued to work hard. Jay Estes got two more carbon-copy doubles of what you think of on that swing he got going last year to lead us in doubles.”
Elliott Anderson moved to 5-0 on the year with a career-high four innings of scoreless work out of the Auburn bullpen. Anderson, whose ERA dropped to 3.37, struck out a career-high seven while holding the Blazers hitless.
“I think it was the best outing of his career,” Thompson said. “I think that was his finest time. We challenged him pretty good after the first inning. For me, that was one of his finest moments since he has been at Auburn.”
Elliott Anderson (14) pitches vs. UAB. Courtesy of Auburn Athletics.
Auburn was held hitless after the first inning until the sixth, as UAB scored a pair of runs to close Auburn’s lead to 3-2.
The sixth inning, however, was the difference maker as the Tigers scored three runs to put the game out of reach. Jay Estes recorded the biggest hit of the night for Auburn with a two-run double to score Davis and Dylan Ingram and give the Tigers some breathing room.
Auburn senior Calvin Coker, who made his first-career start in 50 career appearances, went four innings and allowed two runs on five hits. The Kyle, Texas, native struck out one and walked one.
“Calvin Coker got back out there,” Thompson said about Coker not pitching in the three-game series vs. Mississippi State last weekend. “I think it was the first weekend since he has been an Auburn Tiger that he hasn’t pitched to at least one hitter. We got him out there, and I think that gets him back into the series, at some point, this weekend.”
Davis notched his first three-hit game of the season to go along with three RBIs. Estes finished with a pair of RBIs for the Tigers to give him 20 for the year.
Freshman Edouard Julien picked up his team-leading 31st and 32nd RBIs with a run-scoring walk and RBI single. Brett Wright also recorded three RBIs with a three-run double in the eighth inning.
“The past two games, doing what we’ve done at the plate, it’s big-time, especially getting ready and getting back into what we can do in the SEC,” Davis said. “Going into Tuscaloosa feeling like that is big for us.”
Gonzales-Montoya (2-1) took the loss for UAB, who fell to 16-19 on the year. Brett Blackwood and Stephen Dobbs each recorded a hit and RBI for the Blazers. Former Auburn pitcher Kevin Davis allowed struck out the side in the seventh inning while allowing one run for UAB.
The Blazers hit five Auburn batters and tallied four errors in the ballgame.
Auburn, which improved to 26-12 on the season, won its 22nd game of the season in 27 attempts at Plainsman Park. The Tigers also moved to 31-2 all-time vs. UAB.
The Tigers will return to action Friday night as it travels to Tuscaloosa to continue conference play at Alabama. Auburn defeated Alabama 5-2 on March 27 in the MAX Capital City Classic, however, the Crimson Tide swept a three-game series from the Tigers last season.
“I hope it goes better than the last two times,” Auburn ace Casey Mize said about the upcoming series at Alabama. “I just got to treat it like another SEC weekend. It’s a rivalry, and it is going to be pretty wild.
“I think when it comes to Auburn versus Alabama, the numbers go out the window. It is just two teams competing. I think whoever has the most heart and whoever executes the best is going to come out on top. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.”
First pitch Friday night inside Sewell-Thomas Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Mize (7-1, 2.00 ERA) will be on the mound for Auburn.
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