No. 4 Auburn takes down Stetson, one win from Super Regional berth

Timely hitting from Cooper McMurray and Bub Terrell helped propel No. 4 Auburn baseball to an 8-5 victory over Stetson, putting the Tigers one win away from advancing to the Super Regional round.

“An amazing college baseball game,” said Auburn Head Coach Butch Thompson. “Great effort, another unbelievable crowd, a great atmosphere for postseason. That’s what it’s supposed to be like, and you could absolutely feel it in the ballpark. Thankful to win that one. Both nights have been a grind. All you can do is just come out and play hard.”

Auburn’s bats stayed hot, recording 12 hits as a team, nine of which went for extra bases. McMurray and Eric Snow led the way, combining for five doubles and three RBIs.

Making his first appearance on the mound since May 16, ace Samuel Dutton gutted through six and two-thirds innings, doing enough to secure the win.

In the top of the second, McMurray sparked the offense with a leadoff double. Auburn cashed in with back-to-back doubles from Snow and Terrell to take an early 2-0 lead.

After a 1-2-3 inning from Dutton, the Tigers kept their foot on the gas in the third. Ike Irish drove in Eric Guevara with a double down the right-field line, and McMurray followed with another double to make it 4-0.

Stetson responded in the bottom half of the frame, manufacturing a run via a double from Evan Griffis and two groundouts to cut the deficit to three.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Hatters mounted their first real threat. Back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases, and right fielder Jordan Taylor lined a single into right-center, scoring Lorenzo Meloa. It looked like Taylor’s hit would bring home two runs, but Irish threw a strike to the plate, cutting down Landon Moran.

“They scored a run and he (Irish) chopped a runner down on one of the best throws you’re going to see on any field, any level,” Thompson said. “That’s an amazing college baseball game played at a high level.”

Stetson kept the pressure on in the inning as Landon Russell singled to right for their fourth hit of the frame, scoring Foster Apple and trimming Auburn’s lead to 4-3.

Auburn added to its lead in the fifth when McMurray led off with his third double of the evening and Snow brought him home with a double of his own, pushing the score to 5-3.

In the top of the seventh, Terrell stepped up with two runners in scoring position and two outs. The freshman from Alabaster, Alabama, delivered with a double off the “War Eagle Wall” to extend the Tigers' lead to 7-3.

“I’ve been locked in since day one of regionals,” Terrell said. “I don’t feel like anybody can get a ball by me.”

Terrell’s performance is just another example of how important Auburn’s freshmen have been this season.

“Best freshman in the country. Any team, any level,” Dutton said. “Those guys know how to play baseball.”

Stetson answered in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double from Isaiah Barkett down the right-field line. Auburn turned to its bullpen, bringing in Ryan Hetzler, who allowed one inherited run to score, cutting the lead to 7-5.

Dutton finished his outing allowing seven hits, five earned runs, and three walks in six and two-thirds innings of work.

“With the fans getting into it, it made everything that much more special to go out there against a really good team,” Dutton said. “That was a huge win for us.”

Irish led off the ninth with a huge insurance run, launching his 17th home run of the season over the left-field wall to make it 8-5.

Hetzler handled the bottom of the ninth without issue, recording his eighth save of the season and sending the Tigers to the regional final.

Auburn will take the field tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. CST against the winner of NC State/Stetson with a trip to the Super Regionals on the line. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.