Auburn proved its ability from beginning to end in Friday’s game against No. 3 South Carolina with an 8-3 win on the road at Founders Park.
The Tigers improved to 9-2 in series openers this season with the win, and the game marked the sixth time the Tigers have held the opponent to three or fewer runs to start a series.
Auburn (23-17-1, 7-11 SEC) came to Founders Park with a fire under its belt after a midweek loss to Troy but made up for the loss by taking down top-five ranked South Carolina (34-7, 13-5 SEC).
“The guys did an amazing job,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “We’ve been here before, and we’re at the stage now where this is a good win but we know we’ve got to get right back in the middle of this because we have to have more before we leave town.”
The Tigers' pitching aided their success and allowed for a solid foundation for Auburn. The Tigers put three reliable pitchers on the bump who executed defensively against South Carolina. Tommy Vail started and ultimately secured the win followed by junior Tanner Bauman and closer Will Cannon. For the fourth time since conference play, the mound held the opposition to three runs or fewer in conference play.
“I knew I had to go as deep as I could, trust the guys behind me and trust the bullpen,” Vail said. “Luckily, I was able to give us a couple more good innings and get us in position to win. I was able to get some swings and misses up in the zone. I knew the defense was going to play well behind me. I knew I could fill it up and let them work.”
Junior Cole Foster slapped the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the fourth, followed by freshman Chris Stanfield, redshirt sophomore Cooper McMurray and senior Bryson Ware who were aggressive at the plate and collected two hits.
“Cole Foster was stellar,” Thompson said. “That really stuck out to me. Nate LaRue did another nice job for us defensively. If we can keep playing consistent, good things will happen.”
Auburn secured an early lead in the bottom of the first with freshman Chris Stanfield’s single and base running. Stanfiled stole home in the first, allowing Auburn to secure a lead and starting momentum off strong for the Tigers. Stanfield’s play made history as it was only the second time the Tigers have snagged a lead on a stolen home base since 2010.
“It was split second,” Stanfield said. “I saw him take that one step like he’s getting in the windup and just trusted my instincts and went. I feel great. I’m proud of the guys, great win. BT talked the whole time about coming down here and being us and we did it, so I’m proud of us.”
The Gamecocks came prepared with a run to tie the score 1-1 in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly. Thanks to Vail, the Gamecocks offense was nipped in the bud, leaving runners on second and third at the bottom of the inning.
Vail snagged three strikeouts around a one-out walk to end the fourth, and the Tigers came to the plate ready to execute. Stanfield obtained a hit, followed by freshman Ike Irish’s hit, scoring LaRue, to further Auburn’s lead. Senior Body Peirce, followed by McMurray and Ware pushed Auburn to a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth.
The Gamecocks refused to allow Auburn to continue having its way with a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth. However, Auburn responded nicely with an inning-ending double play.
Bauman took the mound for the Tigers late in the sixth and held the Gamecocks scoreless. The Tigers furthered their lead with two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Stanfield continued his execution, followed by Irish who secured a two-strike double scoring Stanfiled. Shortly after, McMurray secured his 11th RBI in the past four games with a single which scored Irish. Auburn obtained a 8-2 lead heading into the eighth.
South Carolina tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a two-out double, but Bauman settled in and ended a potential momentum-shift from the Gamecocks by escaping the inning with just one earned run to his name.
Cannon came on in the ninth and held the Gamecocks scoreless to give Auburn the upset victory.
The second game of the series is set to take place in South Carolina at 3:00 pm CST and can be streamed on SEC Network+.
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