AUBURN | Sam Dutton was everything Auburn could ask for in a Friday night starter.

The LSU transfer allowed just two runs in a career-high seven innings as the 23rd-ranked Tigers opened conference play with a 6-2 win over No. 13 Vanderbilt Friday night at Plainsman Park.

“I had a lot of things working for me,” said Dutton. “The biggest thing was staying in the strike zone, getting weak contact and getting quick outs.”

Dutton (3-1) scattered six hits, five singles and a two-run home run by Jonathan Vastine in the third inning. He struck out six and issued one walk on a career-high 93 pitches.

"I thought he had a ton of maturity," said AU coach Butch Thompson. "He gave up the home run and our offense was right there for him. Our offense responded and had his back.

"Dutton didn’t have the curve ball working early but found it and then had all his pitches working. He pitched in enough too. I thought that was huge for him."

Carson Myers struck out five over the final 2.0 innings to secure the win. He struck out the side in the eighth on 10 pitches and allowed a walk with two strikeouts in the ninth.

"I thought Myers was unhittable in the eighth," said Thompson. "He’s got to be mindful that there’s another inning after that, but i thought after the first two sequences he found himself again and helped us get to the finish line. Just an amazing job."

Auburn improves to 15-3 overall and 1-0 in the SEC.

Trailing 2-0, Auburn struck for five runs in the third including a sacrifice fly by Cooper McMurray, two-RBI double by Deric Fabian and a two-out, RBI-single by Chase Fralick.

AU added a run in the sixth on a fielder’s choice by Eric Guevara, which scored Chris Rembert from third base.

Bub Terrell was 3 of 4 with a run scored.

"To only strike out three times kind of tells you a commitment to the at-bats," said Thompson. "The two strike hitting was amazing in that five-run inning as well. That’s just the approach. I thought it was a commitment with two strikes."

The series continues Saturday at 11 a.m. CT and Sunday at 2 p.m. Both games will be on SECN+/ESPN+.