Auburn Tigers Baseball Takes Game Two from Eastern Kentucky
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Auburn, AL- Auburn took the field with slight changes to the lineup. Caden Green replaced Deric Fabian at the third base and Christian Hall replaced Gavin Miller as the DH.
Season-opening series: secured. ✅#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/cTMIa91vQT
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 17, 2024
Joseph Gonzalez, in his return from missing most of last season with a shoulder injury, had not pitched in a game in 364 days. He allowed one unearned run over five innings of work. He got in early trouble in his first two innings allowing two base runners with less than two outs and was able to induce a ground ball double play to escape unscathed.
Bobby goes BOOM! https://t.co/WBpl1BpeSa pic.twitter.com/3g2mWAhTaH
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 17, 2024
“It gave me confidence after having guys on base to make sure I get a ground ball have a double play and come back for the next pitch” Joseph Gonzalez on gaining confidence after he allowed two runners on in the first two innings.
Bobby Barrels strikes again! 💥
B8 | Auburn 6, EKU 1 pic.twitter.com/Oh8hWxhPGv
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 17, 2024
“We missed him the last year or so. Just having him back there and knowing that he’s going to fill it up and be giving us ground balls get us outs quickly. It’s something we have been waiting for, not that we haven’t had it, but it’s great to have him back.” Bobby on having Joseph Gonzalez back on the hill after missing a year.
Beep beep. 🏃💨@imsamrobertson swipes 2nd and 3rd before coming in to score on @JavonHernandez7's groundout.
B7 | Auburn 5, EKU 1 pic.twitter.com/e43RStzNcO
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 17, 2024
Auburn in the first two innings was not doing better with a series of fly ball outs and strike outs. However, in the bottom of the third the bats came alive. Caden Green lead the inning off with a hit by pitch. Javon Hernandez followed it with a walk. Bobby Pierce then hit one to the base of the right field wall for a triple scoring the two base runners. Two pitches later, Cooper McMurray left the yard with his first home run of the season. Chris Stanfield followed that up with another triple but was left stranded at third. After three innings the Tigers lead the Colonels 4-0. EKU would get a run back in the top of the fifth on a couple of well-placed hits and an error. Gonzo minimized the damage allowing just the one run. After five innings Auburn lead 4-1.
Armstrong enters and strands the bases loaded!
M7 | Auburn 4, EKU 1 pic.twitter.com/5NGCWjONtN
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 17, 2024
Auburn would score again in the seventh on a walk by Christian Hall. Hall was pinch ran for by Sam Robertson who promptly stole second and third. Javon Hernandez grounded out to the second baseman scoring Robertson from third.
3⃣⬆️, 3⃣⬇️@CrotchfeltZach fans a pair in a clean sixth.
M6 | Auburn 4, EKU 1 pic.twitter.com/5SQLNgRX5X
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 17, 2024
Zach Crotchfelt and John Armstrong threw three scoreless innings. In the bottom of the eighth Bobby Pierce added another run with a home run over the monster giving the Tigers a 6-1 lead.
“It was clean enough.”@3strikes_AU recaps 6-1 @AuburnBaseball win over EKU. Auburn will go for the season-opening sweep Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
( 🎤 @PaulEllen1 / @AUSportsNetwork )#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/VWUSLF8BdB
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) February 17, 2024
“I thought (Zach) Crotchfelt did a nice job and that was an absolute coaching decision to bring (John) Armstrong in with two strikes. Having a right hander down there and a right hander at the plate and having two strikes and who’s the best option if the guy in the pen is absolutely ready to come in the ball game and he was. So, the one pitch two outs kind of helped us navigate because it was a 4-1 ball game at the time.” Butch Thompson on bringing in Armstrong with two strikes on a batter.
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— Brad Harvey (@BradCSCast) February 17, 2024
Will Cannon came in to shut the door in the ninth. Cannon struck the first batter he saw and then hit the second batter. Cannon would come back to strike out the next batter. He walked the nine-hole hitter but struck out the next to slam the door on EKU. The Tigers win their opening series and will be back in Plainsman Park against these same EKU Colonels tomorrow at 1pm CT going for the sweep.
