Published Apr 12, 2022
Three Tigers combine for 17 strikeouts
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Bryan Matthews  •  AuburnSports
Senior Editor
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@BMattAU

AUBURN | Auburn’s midweek success continued Tuesday night.

Three pitchers combined to strikeout 17 as the 17th-ranked Tigers beat Samford 4-1 at Plainsman Park to improve to 23-10 on the season and 7-1 in midweek games.

AU starter Mason Barnett (2-1) allowed a run in the first inning on three walks and an infield hit, but settled down to hold Samford scoreless over the next four innings, striking out six, to earn the win.

Chase Allsup was dominant out of the bullpen throwing 2.0 scoreless innings allowing one hit and striking out five.

After walking the first two batters in the eighth, Jordan Armstrong struck out the final six batters of the game to earn his first-career save.

“Mason steadied himself and got better,” AU coach Butch Thompson told the Auburn Network. “Chase Allsup, that’s back-to-back midweek games that have been pretty solid for him. That’s growth for him.

“Armstrong scared us in the eighth walking the first couple of batters but I think he wound up striking out the next six to finish up the game.”

Auburn got on the board with a two-out, RBI single by Cam Hill in the third inning and took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a two-out, RBI single by Brody Moore.

Kason Howell led off the seventh with a triple off the right field wall and scored on a groundout by Moore and Bobby Peirce hit a blast over the left field wall to leadoff the eighth.

Howell was 2 of 4 with two runs scored, Moore 2 of 4 with two RBI, Hill 1 of 2 with one RBI and Peirce 1 of 3 with his first-career home run.

Auburn returns to SEC play with a three-game series at Mississippi State beginning Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.