After dropping the first of three games to Nebraska on Friday night, the Auburn Tigers bounced back with authority on a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the Plains.
Auburn defeated the Cornhuskers, 15-4, in seven innings to even the series at one apiece in front of a packed Plainsman Park. The program tallied 6,687 recorded attendees, which marked the most at a non-conference matchup in school history.
Everything was working for Auburn for the most part from the opening pitch, as the Tigers dominated Nebraska at the plate and on the mound. The Tigers’ 12 hits propelled them to the 15 runs, the second-most they’ve scored this season, while Auburn’s pitching staff only had to use two arms.
“I thought we had the same competitive spirit today as we did last night,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said after the game. “I know this is outcome-driven… at least for today, we kind of get back in striking distance with this good club.”
True freshman Mason McCraine sealed the run-rule for Auburn in the bottom of the seventh, with a two-out, two-run blast off the batter’s eye in center field to lift the Tigers to the early ending. It was certainly a fitting ending, as McCraine finished with 4-for-5 at the plate with three singles, a home run, and six runs driven in.
“I think he knows that now our job is to pour into him and create what real development is, and for him to try to love the game enough to start learning it like crazy. We’re just allowing the players to help us find our team and find the best team,” Thompson said.
“We needed to win the ball game today. We needed to respond today, and he absolutely gave us a chance. He was the right guy to put in the lineup for that today.”
The Tigers’ bats didn’t need any time to heat up, as they posted four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Bristol Carter led off the frame with an infield single, and a couple of mistakes by Nebraska starting pitcher Carson Jasa loaded the bases with one out.
Ethin Bingamin drew a walk to score Carter before Chris Rembert grounded out to bring home Guevara, and McCraine followed Rembert with a two-RBI single to drive in Bingamin and Bub Terrell to make it a 4-0 game after the opening frame.
Auburn followed its four-run first inning with a four-spot in the second, headlined by five free passes awarded by Nebraska’s pitchers. The Cornhuskers rotated through three pitchers within the first two innings, and they threw six total arms in seven innings.
Nebraska cut Auburn’s lead to 8-4 after posting two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, but the Tigers responded and broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. The first four Auburn batters recorded a hit, as Carter singled to center before Guevara and Terrell homered in back-to-back at-bats.
“Man, it was just nice to see those seven runs,” Thompson said. “The way we scored it – they gifted us a little bit, but you got to have an at-bat. So, we took our at-bats and got some runs. But we really didn’t bust through since we got those last seven runs.”
Christian Chatterton picked up the win on the mound for the Tigers, as he pitched 2.2 innings, allowed no hits, and struck out four Cornhuskers. Jackson Sanders got the start, but his day was done in the top of the fifth inning after throwing 99 pitches and allowing four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.
The Tigers improve to 8-2 on the year, and they are now set for a rubber match with Nebraska on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CST at Plainsman Park, and it will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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Gunner is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
