After experiencing six straight losses, Auburn baseball needed something to smile about. They found it Tuesday by taking down a rival in midweek action.
An eight-run first inning provided enough cushion for Auburn (19-17) to earn a 12-8 victory over Georgia Tech (22-13) on Tuesday night at Plainsman Park in Auburn.
“It was great. It had been a minute” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said postgame. “Every time we take the field you want to have success. For these guys, I know things will turn and I know baseball will get back to normal. We got another filled up crowd. We have guys that are still fighting and engaged. I’m tickled to death to see that after we’ve been kicked and beat. Really the man, the woman, the team, the person, at the end of the day if you can create some stamina and don’t go away it will shift back.”
It appeared that Auburn’s lineup could not wait to step into the batter’s box Tuesday, as 11 batters combined to score eight runs on six hits with zero Georgia Tech errors.
Georgia Tech starter Logan McGuire struck out the first two batters of the inning before the rally took control. He walked the next two batters and allowed Chris Stanfield to reach base on a single to load the bases for Eric Guevara. Guevara delivered a two-RBI single to push his team ahead, 2-0. Three of the next four batters would record an RBI in the 1st inning, with Cooper Weiss’ three-run home run blast being the headlining blow.
Auburn’s lead became in jeopardy quickly as the Yellow Jackets scored seven runs over the next three innings to trim Auburn’s lead to 8-7 heading to the 5th inning. Weiss smashed his second home run of the day in the 6th inning, this time of the two-run variety, to give Auburn insurance. Guevara also recorded his third RBI of the game in the inning to push Auburn ahead, 11-7. Both teams traded runs in the 7th inning to cap scoring.
Auburn logged 14 hits as a team in the win, with four batters recording multiple base knocks. Weiss led the way in RBI with four, followed by Guevara’s three RBI and Cale Stricklin’s two. Joseph Gonzalez lasted 3 2/3 innings in his midweek nod, where he struck out five batters while allowing five runs to score. Hayden Murphy took home the win on the mound by striking out two batters in a one-inning effort.
Auburn will look to build off of its momentum earned this weekend in Starkville. The Tigers’ three-game set with Mississippi State begins Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
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