Welp. That was fun until it wasn’t. Auburn baseball took on the 3rd ranked Florida Gators this weekend and took game one in a promising display of pitching. Then games two and three happened.
While not the best outcome, we still saw some flashes of this team’s potential when they put it together. Let’s talk about it.
Auburn baseball vs Florida: Game One
Game one had all the makings of a good start for the Tigers. Will Cannon got the start on the bump, and while he only went four innings, he surrendered just one run on five hits and allowed the bullpen something to work with.
The bats were alive all weekend, and in game one it was no exception. Eight runs on eleven hits is winning baseball at every level of the game.
The pen gave up no runs on Friday, with Tanner Bauman earning his second win of the season. Chase Isbell pitched a shutout ninth to end it. Final score: 8-1 Tigers.
Auburn baseball vs Florida: Game Two
Game two was the only game this weekend where the good guys weren’t really in it. The bats were solid but couldn’t overcome the poor pitching from start to finish.
John Armstrong got the nod on Saturday and promptly surrendered as many runs as he got outs, giving up 7 over 2.1 innings of ball. Not ideal.
The pen didn’t give him much relief either, surrendering another 5 through the final 6.2 innings. Combine that with just 5 runs total for the Tigers, and that’s all she wrote.
Final score: 12-5 Gators.
Auburn baseball vs Florida: Game Three
Game three was a chance to solidify this team as a real threat in the SEC and move past the Arkansas sweep. It didn’t work.
A promising start saw good enough pitching from starter Tommy Vail, with 5 runs over 4.2 innings. The bats were alive and had the Tigers up 8-3 going into that fateful bottom of the fifth. Then Vail and the bullpen fell apart.
This game was, and I repeat, 8-3 in favor of Auburn after 4 1/2 innings. The pitching then did what it has unfortunately done all season: fold. 14 runs over 5 innings. No more runs for the good guys.
Final score: 17-8 Gators.
Conclusion
The pitching has failed this team. The bullpen is young and inexperienced, but at some point we have to still know that these guys are D1 baseball players. They’ve got talent, but time and again leads are being melted away.
At this point, Joseph Gonzales doesn’t do much to help the team. He’s a great arm as a starter, but the pen is failing this team. While there are few coaches more qualified than Butch Thompson to put together a pitching crew, this one hasn’t been his best.
This week, the Tigers will face UAB at Regions Field in Birmingham before coming home for A-Day Weekend to face Texas A&M. Let’s show out for the boys.
As always, War Eagle.