No. 13 Auburn dominates Florida A&M with help from new additions

It only took seven innings Wednesday night for No. 13 Auburn to cruise to an 18-8 win over Florida A&M.

TCU transfer Tommy Vail started for the Tigers on the mound. Debuting last Saturday against USC, Vail made his first start as a Tiger, recording six strikeouts with two walks in four innings. Vail started the game with Auburn already holding an 11-0 lead.

"Sometimes, when you're sitting in the dugout, you can get caught up in what's going on, and I felt like I did a good job of staying in the moment," Vail said. "Coach Rock (Daron Schoenrock) came up to me, and he's like, 'Hey, we might have just scored 11, but it's a 0-0 ballgame when you get out there, so you just gotta stay focused.'"

Freshman Trevor Horne and Cameron Keshock made their debut. In the fifth, Horne had three strikeouts and no walks. Keshock had a rough start with four earned runs, one walk and no strikeouts in the sixth. Taking over for the freshman, Parker Carlson stepped on the mound and recorded three strikeouts and two walks in one inning. Auburn native Ryan Olson finished on the mound with two strikeouts in the seventh. 

"We are trying to let all the kids play. It got us in trouble tonight, but I thought Horne did a nice job…. He filled up the strike zone, and that seems to be the essence of having success right now," said head coach Butch Thompson. "After that, you're continuing to try to grow and build. We definitely experienced some of those growing pains there."

During Auburn's 11-run first inning, the Tigers had several players hit home runs, and more ended the night with multiple hits and runs. 

Kent State transfer Justin Kirby got the Tigers' offense rolling with his sixth home run of the season. All six of Kirby's hits this season have been home runs. Junior Cole Foster and Kansas transfer Cooper McMurray followed Kirby's lead, each adding a home run to the scoresheet. 

"I think that's a perfect way to start a game as an offense," Kirby said. "Hitting is contagious, and you know, I think that's kind of been our culture offensively early in the season, working hard to get the next guy up, and I think that really translates."

Kirby recorded one run, one hit and one home run with three RBIs. Foster had three runs, one hit and one home run with a .320 batting average. McMurray had one run, one hit and a home run with three RBIs. 

Florida A&M gained momentum in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs and managed to contain Auburn's offense briefly. The Tigers were able to hang onto their lead with help from their younger guys. 

"I think that it's huge getting younger guys those first at-bats out of their way in a 10-run game where you're still gonna have those jitters," Kirby said. "Being able to get those first at-bats out of the way while the stakes are relatively low, I think that's huge."

Fans saw a lot of new faces for the Tigers. Halfway through the game, Thompson substituted all his starters out. Some of the new faces seen were freshmen Gavin Miller and Chris Stanfield.

Miller replaced Bryson Ware at third base, and Stanfield replaced Kason Howell in center field. Stanfield played a major role in securing Auburn's win, scoring one of the two runs needed to end the game. 

Thompson emphasized that he wants his players to understand that every game is as important as a World Series game, and he wants his team to be prepared when that time arrives. 

"They're learning something every time they go out there, and we'll come back in here tomorrow and keep talking about solutions and adjustments," Thompson said. "We're playing a World Series game today on our field, and I believe that. I want our team to understand and learn that, but at the same time I want to develop every piece and give everybody an opportunity to make a stronger ballclub down the road."

Junior Joseph Gonzalez will not be seen on the mound this weekend because of a lingering shoulder injury. Gonzalez and the team are taking his injury one day at a time to ensure that his health remains a priority. 

"Joseph (Gonzalez) thought it bothered him a little bit more," Thompson said. "I don't want to make a bigger deal out of it, and it's not a big thing. And I sure don't want to play it like it's nothing when a player says he can't pitch, so I want to do this right on everybody's account, especially Joseph and our team." 

The Auburn Tigers return to action on Friday for a three-game series against Lipscomb (5-3). The opening game will start at 6 p.m. CST.