A good performance on the mound from Conner McBride helped Auburn earn a win in Huntsville before conference play begins.
The No. 12 Auburn Tigers beat the Troy Trojans at Toyota Field in Huntsville.
McBride earned his third win of the season after pitching five innings and holding the Trojans to one run off of one hit.
When McBride stepped aside prior to the sixth inning, the Tigers' bullpen kept the success going on the mound.
John Armstrong, Will Cannon and Tanner Bauman pitched a combined four innings and limited Troy to one run off of three hits. The group also recorded seven strikeouts.
A different Trojan accounted for each of the team's four hits. Will Butcher and Shane Lewis drove in Troy's two runs. Former Auburn player Mikey Bello went 0-3.
Although Troy put the first run on the board with a home run to right-center in the top of the first inning, Auburn was in control offensively. The Tigers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning and one more in the bottom of the fourth before a two-run rally extended their lead to four in the bottom of the fifth.
Auburn finished the game with 11 hits, eight of which were good for extra bases.
Chris Stanfield had three hits, Ike Irish and Gavin Miller each had two. Cooper McMurray had three RBI and Caden Green had two.
Auburn is now 13-3 on the season.
The Tigers open up SEC play against the No. 8 Vanderbilt Commodores on the road in Nashville this weekend. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday, 2 p.m. CT on Saturday and 1 p.m. CT on Sunday. The live stream of each game can be found on SEC Network+, and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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