In its final nonconference game before SEC play officially begins, the No. 12 Auburn Tigers (13-3) bested the Troy Trojans 8-2 in front of 6,138 fans Tuesday night at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama.
“For the level of the team that we’re playing, for the pitches that I watched, the little things, and the consistent side of the pitching staff, that was my favorite game so far this season,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “I thought it was consistent. I thought all of our guys were competitive and in the strike zone.”
Although the lineup was missing veterans Cooper Weiss and Bobby Peirce, Auburn’s offense maintained its offensive rhythm, going 11-for-32 at the plate and adding eight runs, two home runs, six doubles and eight RBIs to the board.
The Tigers’ offense spread the love, with seven players scoring at least one run and five hitting a double. Going 2-for-3 in the batter’s box, Ike Irish led the charge with one run, two doubles and two RBIs.
Following the youngster’s lead, Cooper McMurray and Caden Green secured one home run each alongside McMurray’s three RBIs and Green’s two RBIs.
Chris Stanfield also had a solid night at the plate – going 3-for-4 – with a double and one RBI. Gavin Miller, Mason Maners and Christian Hall each added a double to the stat sheet.
However, it was a different story for Troy (12-6), who went 4-for-30 at the plate and added two home runs and two RBIs.
In the first inning, first baseman Will Butcher got the Trojans on the score sheet by hitting a home run with two outs on the board.
Irish matched Butcher’s run with a sacrifice fly that sent Manners home to score, while McMurray’s groundout that sent Deric Fabian home gave Auburn the lead.
Irish wasn’t satisfied with the Tigers’ 2-1 lead, so he doubled down the right field line, putting Fabian in scoring position and sending Maners home to score in the fourth.
Stanfield carried Auburn’s offensive surge to the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field so that Carter Wright could score and Hall could advance to third. Green extended that momentum with a sacrifice fly to send Hall home to score – making it 5-1.
Green decided he wasn’t done in the batter’s box, so in the bottom of the seventh, he hammered his ball over the left-field wall to give the Tigers a five-run lead.
“I haven’t had the best at-bats lately. I haven’t really liked them, but all of my teammates have been backing me up the entire time, just instilling that confidence in me,” Green said. “That’s all it takes is a little bit of confidence. You run into one, and your teammates are all excited; it’s just a great feeling.”
Hoping to resurge Troy’s offense, left fielder Shane Lewis homered a ball to left field, but Auburn’s defense prevented the Trojans’ resurgence. McMurray’s home run was the nail in the coffin that solidified the Tigers’ 8-2 victory.
Thompson’s bullpen had a solid night on the mound, collecting nine strikeouts, three walks, one hit-by-pitch and allowing four hits and two runs. Comparatively, the Trojans had eight strikeouts, seven walks, two hit-by-pitches and one wild pitch – allowing 11 hits and eight runs.
Remaining Auburn’s midweek starter, Conner McBride pitched five solid innings and held Troy to four scoreless frames, earning his third win. McBride recorded two strikeouts, two walks and one hit-by-pitch and allowed only one hit and one run – facing 18 total batters.
“I’m thankful to the coaches and everybody for just giving me this opportunity,” McBride said. “I’m just trying to do my job the best I can and just execute pitches and help the team win. My mentality is just to attack the strike zone and execute the pitch, one pitch at a time.”
John Armstrong relieved McBride and started on the mound in the sixth. Armstrong struck out two batters in his one inning pitched, while the third flew out.
Will Cannon took over in the seventh to pitch two innings, while Tanner Bauman closed out the game. The pitchers added five strikeouts and one walk to the stat sheet, alongside one run and three hits.
For their first SEC series, the Tigers will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to face the No. 8 Vanderbilt Commodores (14-3) in a three-game series. The matchup will begin on Friday, March 15, at 6 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
