Tigers earn much-needed win
AUBURN | Georgia Tech starter Logan McGuire struck out the first two batters of the first inning and then all heck broke loose.
Auburn scored eight runs with two outs in the first to wrap up an eight-game homestand with a 12-8 win over Georgia Tech Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.
Auburn, which improves to 19-17, ends a six-game losing streak and improves to 8-1 in midweek games.
“It was great," said AU coach Butch Thompson. "Every time we take the field you want to have success. For these guys, I know things will turn and I know baseball will get back to normal. We got another filled-up crowd. We’ve got guys that are still fighting and engaged. I’m tickled to death to see that after we’ve been kicked and beat and beat and beat."
The Yellow Jackets closed to within 8-7 in the fourth but the Tigers pulled away with three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Cooper McMurray and Cade Belyeu got the eight-run first started with back-to-back walks and Chris Stanfield singled to load the bases with two outs.
Eric Guevara singled home two, Derick Fabian singled home one and a Cole Edwards infield single loaded the bases again. Cale Stricklin followed with a two-RBI double and Cooper Weiss, in his second at-bat of the inning, hit a three-run home run over the left field wall on the fourth pitch he saw from relief pitcher Michal Kovala.
"The win is what we needed," said Guevara. "Now we’ve just got to use it, take it to the road and handle business there."
The Yellow Jackets got right back in it with one run in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth on a grand slam by Matthew Ellis.
AU extended the lead to 11-7 in the sixth as Weiss led off with his second home run of the game over the left field wall, Guevara walked with the bases loaded and Belyeu scored on a wild pitch.
After GT scored a run in the seventh, McMurray answered with a two-out, RBI-single in the bottom of the inning to put AU up 12-8.
AU starter Joseph Gonzalez allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Christian Herberholz allowed two runs on one hit and one walk in 1.1 innings, Hayden Murphy one run on one hit in 1.0 inning, Drew Nelson one hit in 1.0 inning, Cameron Keshock no hits in 1.0 inning and Parker Carlson one hit in 1.0 inning.
Murphy (1-0) was credited with the win.
“I thought Murphy, Nelson and Keshock absolutely did a great job for us," said Thompson. "Murphy was in a one-run game and came out and attacked. Nelson absolutely came at it with the fastball. He was right at the meat. I know he faced the catcher that hit the home run earlier.
'Keshock had his power sink. He ran the count a little deep, but made the pitch when he needed to. Those three guys can hopefully continue to get more opportunities because they have hung in there and they showed good tonight.”
Weiss was 2 of 4 with four RBI and his fourth and fifth home runs of the season. McMurray was 3 of 4 with one RBI, Stricklin 2 of 4 with two RBI, Stanfield 2 of 5 and Guevara 1 of 4 with three RBI.
"The first home run was a big relief for me because I had done nothing for the last three games, it felt like," said Weiss. "So I got to buck the 0 for 8 that I had to deal with over the weekend after the Kentucky series.
"After that, I started to trust myself and got in a groove. The second one, I pretty much had a plan and executed that plan. So It feels good. I just want to carry the momentum into SEC play this weekend."
Auburn plays a three-game series at Mississippi State beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+.