Auburn Baseball: Tigers Walk-off to defeat Georgia State
By Taylor Jones
Brendan Venter’s bloop single to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning gives Auburn Tigers baseball the 3-2 win over Georgia State on Tuesday.
The 2018 mid-week opener did not start off well for Auburn Baseball (4-0). Thankfully, games are decided by how a team finishes.
After sweeping Longwood to open the 2018 campaign, outscoring the Lancers 34-1 in three games, Auburn welcomed Georgia State to Plainsman Park Tuesday in hopes of continuing their early season success. However, the Panthers from Atlanta did not make it easy.
Auburn needed all nine innings to pull it off, but a walk-off single by newcomer Brendan Venter gave Auburn their 4th win of the season, a 3-2 decision over Georgia State on Tuesday at Plainsman Park.
The Tigers opened the bottom of the ninth inning on a high note, with Will Holland reaching base after getting hit by a pitch with his team down 2-1. Auburn got on the board one inning prior thanks to a Steven Williams double-play groundout which scored Conor Davis from third base.
Holland would move to 2nd base after a successful sacrifice bunt by Luke Jarvis. Jeremy Johnson, like Holland, was also drilled by a pitch, putting two on for Jay Estes, who would fly out. The pressure would turn to Conor Davis, who would need to reach base in order to extend the game. Davis picked up his 4th RBI of the season after Panther first baseman Jack Thompson booted the grounder, allowing Holland to score.
The pressure then turned to Venter. Two on, two outs, the game-winning run is at second base. Venter hit a blooper to right field, where it was bobbled, then dropped by Enrique Ferrer, giving Johnson enough time to score from second, awarding Auburn the walk-off win.
Auburn Bullpen Shuts Down Georgia State
Georgia State scored two runs over the first three innings on Auburn starter Ryan Watson. Ryan Glass hit a double to right field in the first inning, scoring Enrique Ferrer to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Justin Jones added the second, and what would ultimately be the final run of the day for Georgia State, in the third inning. Luke Leonard opened the inning by doubling down the left field line, and would later score from third on the Jones single. Watson lasted only 3.1 innings after allowing two earned runs on five hits in that span, leaving with a 2-0 deficit.
Once Watson was replaced, Georgia State would not record a run, or even a hit, for the remainder of the game, thanks to the Auburn bullpen.
Corey Herndon and Blake Schilleci each made their debut on Tuesday, combining for 2.1 innings of no-hit baseball. Herndon entered in relief of Watson, striking out two of the five batters he would face over 1.2 innings. Schilleci opened the 6th inning and would record two outs before Coach Butch Thompson elected to go with freshman Cody Greenhill to close out the inning, and later the game. Greenhill recorded the win, striking out four Panthers while walking three. Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Georgia State was the first win of Greenhill’s career.
Davis and Venter each recorded two hits and an RBI in the win.
Auburn will quickly bounce back, as Troy visits the plains on Wednesday. First pitch scheduled for 4 P.M. at Plainsman Park.