Auburn throttles Florida State in second NCAA Regional matchup

Auburn handled business in game two of the regional against Florida State. The Tigers won by a score of 21-7.

On Saturday, the Tigers faced off against the Florida State Seminoles. Both teams won their first matchups of the regional. The Seminoles defeated UCLA by a score of 5-3, while the Tigers defeated Southeastern Louisiana by a score of 19-7. The teams would take the field on the winner’s side of the bracket in a contest to see which team remained undefeated in the regional.

The Tigers sent out their ace in right-handed pitcher Joseph Gonzalez. Meanwhile, the Seminoles sent out left-handed pitcher Bryce Hubbart.

Both teams went scoreless in the first frame, but that quickly changed after that. After shortstop Brody Moore was walked, center-fielder Kason Howell hit a double. With runners on second and third, left-fielder Mike Bello hit a sacrifice fly to bring across the Tigers’ first run of the game. Tigers led 1-0 after one and a half innings.

In the third inning, the Tigers’ bats struck again. A two-run home run off the bat of Brooks Carlson gave the home team an early 3-0 lead. The Seminoles scored a run off the bat of first baseman Alex Toral. Butch Thompson’s squad led after three innings by a score of 3-1.

Then, it just seemed like Auburn left off where they started in game one of their regional against Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers put up a crooked number in the fourth inning when they plated seven runs.

Second baseman Cole Foster doubled to left-center field to plate Bello. After the Seminoles intentionally walked first baseman Sonny DiChiara, right-fielder Bobby Peirce grounded into a fielder’s choice that allowed third baseman Blake Rambusch to score.

Carlson followed that up with a two-run RBI single to extend the Tigers’ lead to 7-1. Then, Moore hit a single to center field to plate two more runs. Howell followed Moore up by hitting an RBI double. After four innings of play, the Tigers led 10-1.

In the fifth inning, Moore continued the scoring by hitting an RBI triple to score DiChiara.

Surprisingly, the scoring ceased in the sixth as neither team was able to push across any runs. That would change in the seventh, however. The Tigers scored four more runs courtesy of an RBI single from Moore, a walk earned by catcher Nate LaRue, a fielder’s choice, and a hit by pitch. The Tigers led 15-1 after seven and a half innings.

In the bottom half of the seventh inning, the Seminoles finally created some opportunity after finally getting Gonzalez out of the game. The Tigers’ ace threw six innings while giving up just four hits and three earned runs. Relief pitcher Carson Swilling came in to ease the damage allowed in the seventh. However, pinch hitter Treyton Rank hit a three-run blast. Tigers led 15-4 after seven in Plainsman Park.

The red-hot Tigers shortstop Brody Moore added another run in the eighth with an RBI double to score Peirce.

After a long bottom half, the Seminoles scratched across three runs off of a solo home run and a pair of singles. The score was 16-7 Auburn after eight. In the ninth, the Tigers scored five more runs. Pinch hitter Cam Hill and Sonny DiChiara both unloaded with home runs. Plus, pinch hitter Bryson Ware hit a two-run triple. Auburn led 21-7 and maintained that score in the bottom half of the ninth.

It was safe to say that Auburn cruised its way to victory. The Tigers have outscored their opponents in the regionals by a score of 40-14. As for their next opponent, they will have to face the winner of the UCLA-Florida State game tomorrow. A game time is to be determined at this time. Whoever wins between those two would have to beat Auburn twice whereas Auburn only has to win once to advance to the super regionals.