Auburn baseball faced Indiana for the final game of the series on Sunday but couldn’t hold the Hoosiers to a sweep. The concluding game ended with a score of 11-2 with Indiana taking the victory.
Indiana had an active first half, racking up a total of eight runs in just three innings. Carter Mathison, sophomore form Fort Wayne, Ind., gave the Hoosiers a strong lead with a grand slam in the top of the first.
Auburn bats had little action until the bottom of the eighth when right fielder Justin Kirby smacked his second home run of the weekend. Senior Bryson Ware was able to rack up two hits at the plate for the Tigers and held a big role in the infield, playing both second and third base during the game.
The Hoosiers were ready to compete and came into game three with their bats blazing. Senior Hunter Jessee was able to go 4-of-5 at the plate and Indiana racked up a total of 14 hits.
The Tigers had a lackluster start to the game and showed vulnerability on the mound — something Indiana capitalized on.
“If you’re doing that and getting hit, that's just a recipe for not getting much done, you know. It never happened today,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “We've got to get some confidence and turn it around quick."
Pitching for the Tigers was slow to start, with four pitching changes within the first three innings. Rookie Drew Nelson started and was followed by Christian Herberholz and Parker Carlson.
By the end of the game, seven Auburn pitchers took the mound, with freshman Zach Crotchfelt staying in the longest for 3.2 innings. Crotchfelt was able to retire four hitters before his time on the bump ended.
“We spent a little bit of experience there to win the series and we absolutely paid for it today,” Thompson said.
Many strong arms took the field against Indiana on Friday and Saturday but the experience was lacking in Sunday's performance on the mound. Freshman Trevor Horne closed for the Tigers after Ryan Olson threw 16 pitches in the top of the eighth.
The Tigers were able to sneak in a run in the fourth inning — Ware was able to bring Ike Irish home with an RBI double and put the Tigers on the scoreboard.
“We think we can be as competitive as we’ve been, but we must be consistent,” Thompson said. "I have confidence that we are tracking on the right things, what we are telling our guys, and the results are going to follow suit."
Although the Tigers failed to execute offensively, they performed on the field. Infielders Caden Green and Cole Foster were defending effectively to throw and execute plays. The outfield was active throughout the game, with both left fielder Bobby Pierce and center fielder Kason Howell running multiple hits down.
In the eighth inning, the Tigers tried to switch things up by putting junior catcher Carter Wright behind the plate and adding freshman Gavin Miller to the mix at third base but it was too little, too late and the Hoosiers held on to their lead.
After the season opener weekend is over, Auburn's lineup is still set to change. The Tigers can evaluate what worked and what didn't, then shape their batting order based around their observations.
“At the beginning of the year, the coaches make the lineup out. After these first three games, now the game and the players will start making the lineup out,” Thompson said. "We have so many adjustments we can keep moving forward."
The Tigers have until Tuesday, Feb. 21 to re-assess before they take on North Alabama in Huntsville, Ala. on Toyota Field, home of the Trash Pandas. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.
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