AUBURN | Auburn’s bats didn’t gather too much dust during the break.

In their first game in 344 days, the 17th-ranked Tigers opened the 2021 season with a resounding 14-3 won over Presbyterian at Plainsman Park.

Judd Ward and Rankin Woley both hit home runs and junior college transfer Bryson Ware had four RBI in his debut.

“It means everything, especially to all the people around the program that’s worked so hard to get this thing started,” said Ward of wining the first game back since the 2020 season abruptly ended last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I know we’re all grateful for that and glad to be back.”

Ward finished 4 of 5 with four runs scored and two RBI. He was a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Woley was 1 of 3 with four RBI and Ware 3 of 4. Ryan Bliss and Josh Hall both went 2 of 4 as Auburn pounded out 14 hits including four for extra bases.

“Judd led us at the plate. Bryson Ware is a real threat. Josh Hall adds a dimension,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “And it was good to see Rankin. He had been working and working and working, and he finally got all of it on that last pitch.”

In his first-career start, former closer Cody Greenhill picked up the win allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits in 5.0 innings. He tied his career-high with six strikeouts and walked just one on 73 pitches.

“That was exactly how you want to come out, I think he had a nine-pitch first inning. No time between pitches and on the attack. That’s really what I wanted to see,” Thompson said. “He just got behind a little bit and the strike zone seemed to get a little bit smaller later.”

Auburn struck for four runs in the second after two outs. Steven Williams walked and was brought home on a triple by Hall. Brody Moore followed with an RBI single and then scored on Ward’s line drive over the right field wall.

The Tigers made it 6-1 in the fourth as Ware drove home two with a single down the left field line. The Blue Hose cut that lead in half in the fifth on a two-out, two-run home run by Jake Wyandt.

After loading the bases with no outs in the sixth, Auburn scored four runs on a Bliss walk, Ware hit by pitch, Woley walk and Tyler Miller RBI groundout. AU added four more in the seventh on an RBI single by Ware and a three-run home run over the Green Monster in left by Woley.

Brooks Fuller, Seb Thomas, Carson Swilling and Trace Bright threw a scoreless inning apiece to finish the game. Thomas and Swilling didn’t allow a hit.

“I am happy with the win but I did not think Presbyterian played their best game,” said Thompson. “They didn’t have to work very hard to get a lot of outs tonight. We hit a lot of pop-ups tonight and once we finally got the ball on the ground in the sixth inning, they probably gave us some stuff that allowed us to have a big, big inning.

“If they play better and if we don’t make an adjustment and start changing our approach sooner or quicker, and if we can’t pass the baton to our bullpen, we’ll have to pay for that.”

The three-game series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. CT and Sunday at 1 p.m. All games are on SECN+/ESPN+.