Auburn Baseball: Tigers sweep BYU with a Pair of Saturday Wins
By Taylor Jones
Auburn defeated BYU twice on Saturday behind a solid day at the plate. The Tigers are now 12-0 on the season, the third-best start in program history
Saturday was a special day on the Plains… the Men’s Basketball team ended the day as co-champions of the Southeastern Conference, and Auburn Baseball won two games in impressive fashion, 21-4 and 9-5, moving Auburn to 12-0 on the season, and sweeping their third straight weekend series.
Auburn made up for Friday’s lackluster offensive performance by scoring 30 runs on Saturday over two games. Luke Jarvis, Eduoard Julien, and Steven Williams combined to score 12 runs, while Will Holland and Brendan Venter combined for 6 runs.
Tiger lineup combines to score 30 runs on 32 hits
Auburn scored 21 runs on 20 hits in game one and added nine more runs in game two in Saturday’s sweep of BYU. In game one, the Tigers scored 13 runs in the first two innings, then went on to score a combined eight runs in the 5th and 7th innings.
Auburn answered BYU’s three-run first inning by scoring seven runs in the bottom half. Brendan Venter, Jeremy Johnson, Jay Estes, Will Holland, and Luke Jarvis all recorded RBI in the bottom of the first, with Johnson scoring two on a double to right-center.
All-in-all, nine Auburn batters recorded at least one RBI, with Edouard Julien’s four RBI leading the way. Holland was next in line with three RBI.
The big inning in game two for Auburn came in the 4th inning. Jarvis’ bases-clearing triple scored two runs, while Holland and Conor Davis each scored a run. Jarvis, Davis, and Steven Williams each recorded 2 RBI in the game.
Smart pitching in game one helps Auburn in game two
When you have to “play two”, it is important to use your bullpen wisely in game one, so that you do not run out of gas in game two. Head Coach Butch Thompson and pitching coach Steve Smith strategized well in game one (in addition to an offensive explosion), only using one arm out of the bullpen.
Game one starter Davis Daniel got rocked early, allowing a three-run home run to BYU’s Brock Hale in the first inning. With Auburn’s offense answering by scoring seven runs in the bottom half of the inning, Thompson felt that Daniel had enough padding to work out of his early struggles. Daniel would go on to pitch six complete innings, striking out five batters. Jack Owen earned his first career save by tossing three innings, allowing only two hits.
The Tigers used four total pitchers in game two, beginning with freshman Tanner Burns. In a repeat performance from game one, BYU’s Brock Hale also homered off of Auburn pitching in game two. Hale’s long ball in the 4th inning was the only run allowed by Burns in five innings of work.
The Cougars unloaded on the Tiger bullpen in the 6th inning. Peyton Glavine was responsible for all three runs that BYU scored, and lasted only two outs. Corey Herndon was next in line for Auburn, but was pulled after putting two runners on base via a hit by pitch, and walk. Cody Greenhill closed the inning, striking out Keaton Kringlen.
Greenhill went on to finish the game, allowing BYU to score only one run in his 3.1 inning performance, earning his second save of the year.
Man of the Series Award
The beautiful thing about repetition is that you continue to get better. Who stood out the most over the weekend? Who made the biggest difference? That player will be recognized at the end of each weekend series.
This week, I give the award to freshman Edouard Julien.
In Friday’s season opener, Julien was responsible for all of Auburn’s four runs… three on his first career home run, and another on a sacrifice fly. On Saturday, he added four more RBI to his season total… on one swing of the bat.
In the 7th inning of game one, Julien entered the game off the bench, pinch-hitting for Luke Jarvis. With the bases loaded, the Quebec native sent a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall for his second home run of the season, his first career grand slam.
Julien ended the weekend 3-for-7 at the plate with two home runs and 8 RBI. On the season, Julien is batting .320 with two long balls and 13 RBI.
Next up for Auburn
The Tigers travel to the Magic City for a Tuesday clash with in-state rival UAB at 6:30 P.M. At the time of posting, the Blazers are 4-5 and have lost four games in a row. In their current weekend series, UAB has fallen to Iowa 4-1 and 11-3 respectively, with Sunday’s game beginning at 12 P.M. in Birmingham.