AUBURN – With the score knotted up at six entering the home half of the ninth, Bub Terrell led off with a single and took two extra bases on an error from Troy center fielder Steven Meier. The Trojans then opted to intentionally walk Bristol Carter and Cade Belyeu, giving Ike Irish a chance to knock in the winning run.
And that he did with a blast off the bat to left center field as the Tigers completed a come-from-behind victory over No. 24 Troy on a chilly Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.
“Big credit to Bub, if he doesn't leg it out we're not in that situation. So he gets to third, and in my head I was like ‘They're gonna walk Bristol.’ I didn't think they would walk Cade, though. But, you know, we're supposed to make the game personal. And, there's no extra needed motivation tonight, you know, for making it personal with who we were playing,” Irish said after his walk off. “It's been a long time coming. I mean, it's been 15 at-bats, but finally I was able to get a ball elevated and just drive it the other way, because that's where I'm best at.”
The Tigers wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard, scoring four runs – all coming with two outs – in the first frame thanks to two errors by Trojan shortstop Peyton Watts. Belyeu reached third on an errant throw from Watts and scored an at-bat later on a fielding error from Watts. Derric Fabian capitalized with runners on the corners and sent a three-run shot over the wall in right field to cap off the innings’ scoring efforts.
Troy fired back quickly with five runs in the top of the second inning on six hits and five runs. Carson Myers – after retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced in his season debut on Opening Day – gave up seven of those hits and five runs in his first start on the mound this season, ending his night after 1.2 innings.
In relief, Jackson Sanders surrendered one run on two hits, giving the Trojans a 6-4 lead after the top of the third.
Then, powered by strong performances from Cam Tilly and Jett Johnston out of the bullpen, the Tigers held the Trojans hitless for the remaining six innings, while Auburn scratched a couple of runs in the fifth and sixth innings for a tie ballgame in the final two frames.
In three innings, Tilly rallied for seven straight strikeouts while only facing 10 batters. Recording the win, Johnston finished off the last two innings with four strikeouts in six batters faced.
“Sanders came in as a freshman and kind of settled the game. Kept us within two and, I mean, Jett came out with some stuff that is really hard to hit. It kind of looks like a 90 MPH curveball,” Tilly said.
It’s a quick turnaround for the Tigers as they are back in action for their second midweek game against North Alabama on Wednesday with first pitch set for 4 p.m. at Plainsman Park. It will be broadcasted on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on ESPN 106.7. The game will also be available for streaming on SECN+.
"I think the good thing about tonight was that we showed how we should play and I think that's going to carry into tomorrow. Because if it's not, then we'll be held accountable for that,” Irish said. “That's Auburn baseball tonight. Even though things didn't go our way in the first couple innings we battled back.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
