No. 20 Auburn capitalized on timely hitting and a lockdown bullpen to secure a 10-4 victory over Old Dominion in the series opener Friday night at Plainsman Park.
Deric Fabian and Chase Fralick powered the offense, combining for five of Auburn’s 12 hits and driving in seven runs. Meanwhile, John Armstrong and Ryan Hetzler anchored the bullpen, allowing just one baserunner over the final 3.2 innings.
“John Armstrong had his sinker going. He hadn’t pitched in about a week and was phenomenal,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “Ryan Hetzler has been great every time we’ve called on him early this season. We got three goose eggs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth.
“We did a great job of playing offense when we took what they gave us,” Thompson added. “We had a bunch of baserunners, we set the table, and we waited for the big swing. Chase Fralick got it.”
Clinging to a 7-4 lead with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Fralick delivered a bases-clearing double to put the game out of reach. It marked his sixth multi-hit performance in the last eight games and a season-high four RBIs.
“It was a long at-bat,” Fralick said. “My at-bat before wasn’t so successful, but I fought off some good pitches and got one I could handle. That hit kind of put the dagger in late in the game, so it felt really good.”
Armstrong (1-0) played a pivotal role out of the bullpen, entering in the sixth with the tying run in scoring position and retiring eight of the nine batters he faced to earn his first win of the season.
“It was a big confidence boost, but that could’ve been anybody out of the bullpen tonight,” Armstrong said. “It was good to feel a lot better physically, so just getting back out there was really exciting.”
Old Dominion (3-8) struck first with a solo home run in the opening frame, but Auburn (12-2) threatened in the bottom half, loading the bases before Monarchs starter Ben Moore escaped the jam.
The Tigers broke through in the third. Ike Irish tied the game with a groundout, Fabian drove in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle, and Fralick extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a liner to center.
Samuel Dutton settled in, facing the minimum in the third and fourth innings thanks to a pair of double plays. Auburn added two runs in the bottom of the fourth, as Eric Snow roped an RBI double and Chris Rembert drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 5-1.
Old Dominion responded with a two-out RBI double in the fifth and a two-run single in the sixth to pull within one. That’s when Armstrong entered and needed just five pitches to escape the jam.
Fabian helped Auburn regain momentum with a solo homer in the sixth—his third of the year—before adding an RBI single in the seventh. Moments later, Fralick delivered the knockout blow with his bases-clearing double.
Hetzler took over in the ninth and struck out the first two batters in a flawless inning, closing out the win.
Auburn and Old Dominion continue their series Saturday at 5 p.m. CT at Plainsman Park.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
