Auburn came out swinging in Columbia.

The Tigers pounded out 10 hits and held one of the nation’s best offenses in check to beat No. 2 South Carolina 8-3 Friday night at Founders Park.

Auburn improves to 24-17-1 overall and 8-11 in the SEC.

“We needed it. We needed it for RPI, we needed it for standings and all that,” AU coach Butch Thompson told the Auburn Network.

“This is a good win but we know we’ve got to get right back in the middle of this because we’ve got to have more before we leave town.”

Chris Stanfield started the scoring stealing home in the first inning. The freshman was 2 of 4 with three runs scored out of the leadoff position.

“I’m just proud of the guys. Great win,” Stanfield told the Auburn Network. “BT talked the whole time about coming down here and being us and we did it.”

AU took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on Cole Foster’s two-run home run well over the right field wall, his sixth of the season.

The Tigers added three runs in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Ike Irish and back-to-back, two-out, RBI singles by Cooper McMurray and Bryson Ware.

Irish added an RBI double in the seventh and scored on a McMurray RBI single.

"I just thought we had good at-bats,” said Thompson. “Will Sanders is one of the better pitchers in our league. I just thought we worked it pretty good.”

Tommy Vail (4-1) earned the win holding USC to two runs on four hits and six walks in 5.0 innings. He struck out seven on 96 pitches.

“Even though I didn’t pitch my best, I knew I had to go as deep as I could,” Vail told the Auburn Network. “Trust the guys behind me and trust the bullpen.”

Tanner Bauman allowed a run on four hits in 3.0 innings and Will Cannon a scoreless ninth to close out the win.

“Those are two guys we trust in any game and any situation,” said Vail. “We’ve got a bunch more guys and a bunch more good arms to throw the rest of this weekend.”

Defensively, AU turned two double plays including an inning-ender in the fifth to work out of a jam.

“Cole Foster was a gem defensively tonight. He was stellar,” said Thompson.

Stanfield, Bobby Peirce, McMurray and Ware had two hits apiece. Irish, McMurray and Foster had two RBI apiece.

The series continues Saturday at 3 p.m. on SECN+/ESPN+ and Sunday at 11 a.m. on SEC Network.