AUBURN – The No. 14 Auburn Tigers hosted the UConn Huskies at Plainsman Park this weekend and won two out of three games.
“A series win against a great opponent, this was a great test for us and really revealed some areas where we need to continue to grow and work,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “I’m thankful for the win and thought the guys did a nice job competing.”
After game one was rained out on Friday night, the Tigers and Huskies played a doubleheader on Saturday.
Auburn picked up an 8-1 victory in the first game.
Two three-run rallies in the bottom of the fifth and eighth innings helped Auburn cruise to the win. Home runs from Cooper Weiss and Bobby Peirce proved to be difference-makers.
Chase Allsup got the start and allowed just one run off of six hits, walked two batters and struck out six in six innings of work.
Game two resulted in an 8-4 win for UConn.
A six-run first inning was too much for Auburn to overcome, despite the Tigers putting four runs across in their opening frame.
Joseph Gonzalez got the start for Auburn and gave up all six of the first inning runs. Christian Herberholz would allow two runs in four innings of work, but Tanner Bauman, Parker Carlson and Hayden Murphy would combine to allow no more runs for the rest of the game.
"I thought it was the best game we played all year in the first game," Thompson said. "It was clean on the mound. Our at-bats were good throughout the ballgame. Defensively we were good. Just all the way around I thought it was our best game.
"Then I thought we followed that up 45 minutes later with our worst half inning that we've had all year," Thompson added. "But we got a bunch of guys in two games, and I thought they kept playing. We chased a non-competitive top of the first the entire ballgame and still had a chance."
Auburn would pick up an 8-2 win in the rubber match.
A three-run home run by Deric Fabian in the bottom of the first inning paved the way for Auburn offensively. UConn scored a run in the top of the second and fifth innings, but a sixth-inning rally by the Tigers helped them secure the series victory.
Carson Myers and Cam Tilly each pitched four innings and held the Huskies to one run during their stints on the mound.
Auburn is now 9-2 on the season.
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday for a two-game set with the Air Force Falcons. First pitch time for both games is yet to be announced. Both games will be live-streamed 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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