Auburn is Capital City Classic champions again
Pitching, defense and clutch hitting was again No. 17 Auburn’s formula for success Tuesday night.
Four pitchers combined to hold Alabama to five hits and lead the Tigers to a 4-3 win in the Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery. Auburn, which improves to 21-6 overall, has won 11 of its last 12 games and owns an 8-1 record against the Tide in the Classic.
“We just have really good team chemistry and we really fight to the end. We really just get it done,” said Jay Estes, who was named game MVP after making two key defensive plays.
Corey Herndon (1-0) earned the win holding the Tide to an unearned run on a walk and no hits in 1.2 innings. Ryan Watson allowed just one hit over the next 2.2 innings and Andrew Mitchell retired the final four batters of the game to earn his first save of the season.
“Andrew Mitchell was really good for us. I’m not sure we get out of here with the one-run lead without him tonight,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “I thought Corey Herndon looked a little fresher tonight. I wanted Watson to get one more out but when I look back, he had a great outing.”
Mitchell hasn’t allowed an earned run in 9.2 innings this season.
“I wanted the ball and I wanted to get us out of it and I wanted to get us the win,” Mitchell said. “My main focus is throwing strikes and if they hit the ball in play, I’m doing my job.”
Auburn starter Christian Camacho allowed two runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.
With the game tied 3-3, Daniel Robert led off the sixth inning with a walk, stole second base and moved to third on a fly ball. With two outs, Josh Anthony hit a slow roller to third base and beat out the throw to first allowing Robert to score the winning run.
The Tigers scored three in the third on an Alabama error and a two-out, two-RBI single by Robert. Three of Auburn’s four runs came with two outs. Anthony had two of Auburn’s five hits.
“We still had a lot of strikeouts tonight,” Thompson said. “I’m so thankful our team is finding a way to win and hanging in there when we’re not playing our best baseball.”
Estes, who moved from left field to second base at the start of the sixth, ended the inning on a relay throw from right field that caught Chandler Taylor at third trying to stretch a double into a triple.
With two on and two outs in the eighth, Estes made a diving stop behind the bag and flipped it to Will Holland at second just in time to get the runner.
Auburn is back in action this weekend as South Carolina visits Plainsman Park for a three-game series. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.