AUBURN – No. 16 Auburn baseball was unable to string any timely hits together in a 6-4 loss to UAB at Plainsman Park on Tuesday night, marking the Tigers’ fourth-straight loss.
An Auburn squad that came into the night averaging .335 at the plate and scoring 8.9 runs per game in non-conference play only saw four Tigers record a hit on the night. Cooper McMurray led with three of the Tigers’ eight hits as Bristol Carter and Chris Rembert each added two apiece, with Bub Terrell recording one.
“Didn’t swing it tonight at all. It doesn’t matter who we play right now, we’ve got to shove it in the strike zone more early in the ballgame. I thought that was the most lifeless offensive performance that we’ve had. I don’t think we were aggressive enough,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson.
Auburn’s pitching staff worked four walks in the first 4.1 innings between starter Alex Petrovic and reliever Jackson Sanders, as two of the Blazers' runs were plated by reaching on a walk.
“It cost us a result. It cost us the ball game,” Thompson said.
The Blazers were propelled by a pair of two-run innings in the fourth and the fifth, giving them the only offense they would need as both squads were held without a run for the final four frames.
The Tigers struck in the home half of the first on an RBI-single from McMurray, scoring Carter and tallied one more run in the fourth as McMurray smoked a one-out double to left center field, trading places with Rembert an at-bat later.
“This is one of our most trusted guys. He needed tonight. I thought he was on the ball the other way, even one of the balls he got out on – I think maybe to left field was hit hard. So I thought his approach was as good as I've seen it in a few weeks,” Thompson said of McMurray.
Ben Schorr entered on the heels of Sanders and went 1.2 innings, holding the Blazers scoreless on three hits. Griffin Graves closed it out on the bump for the Tigers, working three straight scoreless innings while holding UAB hitless.
“Just trusting those guys behind me,” Graves said. “Trusting that they were going to make plays. When they’re making plays behind you, it helps with confidence. So, really happy I was able to get out there and perform for the team.”
The Tigers will return to action with a weekend series at Plainsman Park against in-state rival No. 8 Alabama beginning on Friday. First pitch for Friday is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on SECN+.
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