It was all too familiar for Butch Thompson and his clubhouse. Just two batters into the top of the first inning, the Auburn defense had already given up a two-run home run following an error to start the game.
The Tigers committed a season-high seven errors in a 15-6 loss on Saturday to Austin Peay, causing Thompson to call the contest "the worst game I have been a part of as head coach of Auburn."
“I was really interested in today. I wanted to get here today and just see how this team would respond with so many new pieces because that's the first taste that we've had during these four weeks that have been good to us,” Thompson said following Sunday’s game.
But Auburn and Christian Herberholz settled into the game, holding the Governors to just one hit and no runs over the next four frames following the first inning.
The Tigers’ offense then proceeded to not only answer Austin Peay with two runs of their own in the top of the first, but score in every inning remaining to take control of the game and series.
No. 19 Auburn collected its third seven-inning run rule of the season in the rubber match game to defeat Austin Peay 24-5 – the largest margin of victory for the Tigers since defeating Alabama A&M 33-0 on Feb. 24, 2021.
Deric Fabian (#7) celebrates homerun with teammates against Austin Peay State on March 10th 2024
“Great response, but we need to keep growing as a ballclub and I would imagine every coach in America sitting here is thinking along the same lines, no matter where they feel like their team is at today,” Thompson said.
Cooper McMurray led the way with a 4-for-4 day at the plate, including a two-run, 437-foot bomb in the bottom of the third as well as three doubles – the most in a game in his career. McMurray ended the weekend 7-for-11 with seven hits and seven RBIs.
“I think everyone knows that yesterday didn't go as planned at all for us, but we were all able to flush it and come back today with a fresh new mindset,” McMurray said following the win. “Luckily, we were seeing the ball well, and our pitching staff put the ball in the zone and got themselves out so it was a good win for our team.”
Four other Tigers joined McMurray with homers, including a grand slam in the top of the fifth by Gavin Miller.
Cooper Weiss continued to be a key contributor for the Auburn ballclub, batting 3-for-5 on the day with three hits, two doubles – matching a career high – and four RBIs.
“McMurray was amazing in his at bats early, and Weiss plays with so much energy and has been a spark and was a spark again today for us,” Thompson said. “Really just up and down the lineup we kept churning it out.”
Despite scoring in every inning — for the first time since defeating Coppin State on March 18, 2014 — the third and fifth innings proved to be the most explosive for Auburn. The Tigers combined for 15 runs, eight hits and four doubles in the two innings alone and saw eight different Austin Peay pitchers on the day.
Auburn’s pitching on the other hand settled down after the rough first inning and held the Governor offense down for the middle stretch of the game with a strong outing by the freshman Cam Tilly.
Tilly gave up just one hit in 2.1 innings pitched on 36 total pitches – 15 balls and 21 strikes.
Sunday afternoon’s win marks the eighth straight series win for Auburn dating back to last season as the Tigers look ahead to the opening weekend of SEC play next weekend against the No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I think it would be a mistake for us to try to create a new brand of ball because we're going to an amazing Vanderbilt club next week,” Thompson said. “This is a collection of everything that we've done, and we’ve got to take this and continue to try to be consistent and fearless.”
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
