AUBURN | Cam Hill walked off the mound in the bottom of the ninth Sunday having recorded two outs, given up four hits and two runs and with the bases loaded.
It was a tough outing, but Auburn still led Boston College 9-3.
A walk and a couple of swings later, it was 9-9. The game ended with the Eagles winning 11-9 in 10 innings.
“As much or as crazy as that was and as hard as that was to take, for the most part he was in and around the zone,” said assistant coach Gabe Gross. “The first ball he gave up bad-hopped and got over Rankin. Kind of an odd play. Then it was a jam shot and then it was a really good at-bat that a guy got a two-strike hit on. It was a lot of little things that happened. I think he’ll learn from it and move on.
“It’s kinda like the deal if you’re gonna ride horses and get bucked off, you better get right back on. I think that’s his mentality. It’s been that way since he’s been here.”
Hill, just 12 games into his freshman season, is already proving to be one of the Tigers best young players with the potential to grow into an SEC star. And he’s doing it on the mound and in the batter’s box.
In two starts against BC, Hill hit .375 with two home runs and seven RBI. In his first two appearances on the mound this season, he allowed just one hit and struck out four in 2.0 innings.
“Getting recruited, we always thought it was as possibility of both but it was kind of a lean to pitching when he got here,” explained Gross. “The first time you see him on the mound, it’s left-handed, tall, it’s in the low 90s, it’s got some movement, it’s got a little slider he’s developed well.
“When you’re talking about swings, he’s probably in our top 4-6 just pure swings on the team. That’s tough not to have in the lineup everyday.”
Because of the time Hill spends with his pitching, the only position he’s ready to play right now is designated hitter, which can sometimes make it tough for Gross to get him in the lineup.
That included Tuesday night at UAB when Judd Ward, who was returning from a shoulder injury, started at DH instead of his usual left field.
“Right now, that’s the only spot he can occupy so it is limiting a little bit. But he’s pushing to the point that it’s getting hard to see anybody else there but him,” said Gross.
The 6-5 win over the Blazers turned out to be an important win for the team. The Tigers gave up four runs in the sixth inning to go down 4-2 before rallying for four runs in the eighth.
It was cathartic considering what happened two days earlier.
“I thought that UAB deal was phenomenal. I would have not chosen to give up four runs and get behind,” Gross said. “For us to come back from behind and win the game, that was big. I believe in this team. I think we all do. It’s going to be a long season. We’re going to get healthy. I’ll take this group every weekend.”
Auburn returns to action this weekend for a three-game series against Little Rock at Plainsman Park. Game times will be 4 p.m. CT Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Saturday’s game will air on SEC Network while Friday and Sunday’s will be on SECN+/ESPN+.
