Tag: Chris Stanfield

Recap: Auburn baseball loses heartbreaker to LSU, drops series

A 9th-inning RBI single was the difference as LSU took down Auburn on Saturday to claim the series.

Auburn baseball suffered a shutout on Friday in a 5-0 loss to LSU in game one of the series and was outshined at the plate in Saturday’s middle game. However, they had a chance to win until the very last at-bat.

Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs, LSU’s Josh Pearson delivered an RBI single to score Alex Milazzo to push the Bayou Bengals to a 3-2 victory over Auburn on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.  Auburn conceded its seventh-straight SEC series and has extended its SEC losing streak to 10 games with Saturday’s loss to LSU.

LSU outhit Auburn, 10-3 on Saturday, but could not take advantage of most opportunities as they left 12 runners on base. After allowing Auburn to score first on an RBI groundout by [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] in the 3rd inning, LSU answered by hitting two solo home runs in the bottom frame. Consecutive blasts by Tommy White and Jared Jones pushed LSU in front, 2-1 through three innings.

Auburn tied the game at 2-2 in the 4th inning when a wild pitch allowed [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] to score. The offense remained quiet until Pearson’s RBI single in the 9th inning.

“We had a chance tonight in this ballgame,” Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said postgame. “I keep telling them ‘Keep pushing through and playing hard.’ We’ve been able to have success before, and we just have to come back out here tomorrow and try not to make excuses. We just have to keep at it.”

Auburn received a strong start from [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag], who allowed five hits and two runs and struck out five in 4 1/3 innings. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag] had the most notable outing of the game by striking out seven batters in three complete innings.

“Tilly pitched Tuesday but had such a good look pitching behind (Chase) Allsup that you wanted to get him back out there,” Thompson said. “Seeing that he had seven strikeouts, that looks like I’ve seen absolute growth in him.”

Auburn will look to salvage a game in its series at LSU on Sunday afternoon. Game three is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday and can be seen on SEC Network+.

Recap: Auburn crushes Florida A&M in final midweek home game of season

Nine players recorded hits while Chase Allsup found his groove on the mound in Auburn’s win over the Rattlers.

Auburn baseball bounced back from a sweep at Mississippi State over the weekend by taking down Florida A&M in midweek action.

Nine Auburn players recorded at least one hit while pitcher [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] found his groove on the mound in Auburn’s 11-1, seven-inning win over the Ratters on Tuesday at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

Allsup, who is a usual piece of the weekend rotation, earned the start in Tuesday’s win. He put together a solid outing by allowing one earned run on two hits while walking one and striking out eight over five innings. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag] shut the door by throwing two perfect innings, striking out four batters.

“Their stuff was absolutely set today,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said of Auburn’s pitching performance on Tuesday.  “I know it’s different sometimes on a Tuesday than it is on the weekend, but I think their stuff set will play competitively on the weekend like what we’ve been used to in the past. They were good. That is why they got out there today is to keep trying to find, develop and get your stuff set, and they both accomplished that.”

Allsup has seen his share of struggles this season, as he entered Tuesday’s contest with a 1-3 record and a 7.46 ERA. He has worked to improve over the last several weeks and was rewarded with a solid midweek showing.

“The biggest thing we’ve been working on in bullpens is balancing the ball on both sides of the plate,” Allsup said postgame. “That’s been a really challenging thing so far, and to be able to come out here and produce like we were wanting is a really big thing.”

Auburn broke the game open in the 3rd inning by posting eight runs on five hits. Following a balk to put the Tigers up, 1-0, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag], and [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] each scored runs on RBI doubles while [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] scored one run on a single.

Auburn added insurance in the final two innings. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly that was deep enough to score Freeman from 3rd base in the 6th inning. Auburn’s final two runs came across the plate in the 7th inning on a solo home run by [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] and an RBI single by [autotag]Eric Guevara[/autotag].

Auburn hits the road this weekend to face LSU at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. Game one of the SEC series will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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Visiting Vols trounce Auburn, sets up Sunday rubber match

Auburn was limited to three hits in Saturday’s loss to Tennessee.

Auburn baseball opened the weekend series with No. 4 Tennessee by stunning the Vols with great offense in a 9-5 victory.

On Saturday, Tennessee returned the favor.

The Volunteers jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage and never looked back. In all, Tennessee recorded 13 hits in Saturday’s 12-2 run-rule victory over Auburn at Plainsman Park to even up the series.

After a scoreless inning from both squads, Tennessee took control of the game by scoring five runs in the top of the 2nd to take the 5-0 lead. The Volunteers led off the inning with a solo blast by Dalton Bargo to take the early 1-0 lead. After the home run, Tennessee used two walks and an RBI double to set up Christian Moore for a grand slam opportunity. He took advantage, and smashed a home run to right center field.

Auburn nearly avoided the big inning, but a two-out walk set up the grand slam.

“If you want to play that game and flip that lineup and keep getting (Christian) Moore and (Blake) Burke to the plate, you can pay for that, and that definitely happened,” head coach Butch Thompson said postgame. “The way (Drew) Beam pitched today, that was more than he needed, so it was a huge moment in the ballgame.”

Tennessee’s starter, Drew Beam, tossed a complete game gem for the Volunteers by striking out eight batters and allowing just three hits to Tiger batters. His offense provided plenty of cushion as well. Following the five-run 2nd inning, Tennessee scored three more runs in the 3rd and one more in the 4th inning before scoring three total runs over the final two frames to secure the win.

Auburn’s lone runs came in the bottom of the 7th inning when two wild pitches allowed [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] to score. [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] joined McMurray and Stanfield as the only Tigers to record a hit in the game.

[autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] got the start for Auburn, and his outing was shortlived as he was pulled following the 1st inning grand slam after allowing five runs on four hits. [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag]’s outing was the most notable of the game. He worked 4 2/3 innings, where he struck out four batters and allowed four runs on seven hits. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] and [autotag]Ben Schorr[/autotag] also recorded some time on the mound in the loss. As a unit, Auburn pitching gave up six home runs in the contest.

Sunday’s rubber game between the Tigers and Volunteers is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday at Plainsman Park. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.

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Recap: Tigers come up short in game one against Texas A&M

In an attempt to build some momentum in SEC play, Auburn baseball falls short in game one in College Station

Auburn baseball has been struggling to start its SEC schedule, constantly trying to find answers to come out of games with victories in order to build its resume. After winning their first conference game in the series finale versus Arkansas last weekend, the Tigers hope to build momentum in this weekend’s series against Texas A&M.

Unfortunately, Auburn (16-9) could not gain any in game one on Thursday, as it fell to the Aggies (23-3) 9-7 at Blue Bell Park.

Texas A&M got the scoring started early in this game in the bottom of the 1st. With one out and one runner on, Stanford transfer Braden Montgomery hit a two-run home run over the right center wall, making it 2-0 in early going.

The Aggies extended the lead in the bottom of the 3rd. After Jace LaViolette doubled and advanced to third later on, Jackson Appel hit a fly ball to left field that was caught, but was deep enough to bring LaViolette in. They were in firm control at 3-0.

That was until the top of the 4th when the Tigers made a massive move to get themselves back in it. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] began the inning with an infield single to third base, before two straight outs to follow put Auburn in yet another bad spot.

[autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] eased that worry though when he doubled down the left field line, getting Irish to third. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] came up immediately after and sent a pitch over the left field wall, tying the game up at 3-3.

The bottom of the 4th produced more damage from Texas A&M, as Hayden Schott led the home half off with a home run to right center, putting his team back in front 4-3.

Later in the inning, two back-to-back singles by Gavin Grahovac and LaViolette brought in a run each, giving the Aggies a three-run lead once again at 6-3.

The top of the 6th saw another surge by the Tigers. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Stanfield reached on a fielder’s choice in which Irish scored off of a throwing error. Later on [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] reached on his own fielder’s choice hit, where [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] also scored on an error. The game was once again tied, this time at 6-6.

Texas A&M did not let that last for long though. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th, Appel was hit by a pitch, scoring in a run. Ted Burton then walked on the next at-bat which brought in another run for the Aggies. Schott followed that up with a line drive to right field that was caught, scoring a third A&M runner and making the score 9-6.

Irish attempted to kick start one more push for Auburn in the top of the 7th with a solo home run to right center, but that was all the scoring that would occur for the rest of the game, as the Aggies secured a 9-7 victory.

[autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] picked up the loss in relief for the Tigers, dropping to 2-1 on the season. [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] was the starter on the mound. He pitched 3.0 innings, giving up six hits and six runs, while striking out three and walking two.

Evan Aschenbeck picked up the win in relief for Texas A&M, improving to 4-0 on the year. He pitched 4.0 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out five on the night.

The two squads will meet up again in game two on Friday, where first pitch is set for 6 p.m. CST. [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] is set to start on the hill for Auburn.

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Recap: Auburn takes out weekend frustration on Jacksonville State with 13-3 win

Auburn’s SEC portion of the baseball schedule has not gone well, but the Tigers have continued to play good ball outside of the conference.

The Auburn Tigers have not had a great start to the SEC portion of the baseball schedule. [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]’s squad had just one victory in six tries against SEC opponents but the Tigers have continued to play good ball outside of the conference.

That trend continued on Tuesday with Auburn hanging a 13-spot on Jacksonville State in a 7-inning, mercy rule, win at Plainsman Park.

Things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Tigers on an overcast evening on the Plains. Senior Christian Herberholz (1-1) started on the bump for the Tigers and was immediately met with turbulence. The senior surrendered a 2-run home run to Gamecocks infielder Caleb Johnson in the opening inning but was able to calm the storm from there, working through four total frames while allowing just one more run. He struck out 7.

Star catcher [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] was the first Tiger to pounce on Jacksonville State starter Colby Morse with a first inning solo shot. The sophomore now has 8 long balls on the campaign, leading all Tigers.

After things calmed down for the next couple innings, Jacksonville State infielder Brennen Norton drove home the final run of the day for the Gamecocks on an RBI double down the left field line to give JSU a 3-1 lead. From there, it was all Auburn.

Sophomore [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], senior [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag], and junior [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] all provided run home runs around two more RBIs from Ike Irish in a 7-run fourth inning and 5-run fifth.

Auburn’s bullpen shut the door from there, giving the Tigers their fourth mercy rule win of the season. The 13 runs are the most Auburn has scored since March 10. [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] will hope his teams’ bats stay hot with a tough road series against No. 4 ranked Texas A&M on the docket this weekend.

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Auburn snaps Hogs’ long win streak, wins series finale

An eventful 6th inning for Auburn led to a win over the No. 1 team in the land on Saturday.

The No. 24 Auburn Tigers (15-8, 1-5 SEC) earned its first SEC win of the season on Saturday by taking down the nation’s top team.

Trailing No. 1 Arkansas (19-3, 5-1 SEC) 5-1 heading to the bottom of the 6th inning, the Tigers rattled off six runs in the frame to go ahead, 7-5. Solid pitching over the final two innings, plus an insurance run in the 8th inning were enough to lift Auburn to an 8-6 win over the Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

A record crowd of 5,087 fans watched the Tigers earn the win. A big crowd, plus great effort, led to the win says head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag].

“This is a group of guys that have done everything we have asked them to do the right way,” Thompson said postgame. “For us to come out being down 0-2 in a series at home and have more fans than we’ve ever had in the park’s history show up is pretty moving. For me personally it’s a big deal, and I know it means a lot to these players, but that’s Auburn. That’s the best version of us, and the fans were huge to provide some momentum in the ballpark today.”

The Tigers entered Saturday hoping to avoid a second-straight sweep to open SEC play. After three innings of scoreless play, Arkansas broke through in the 4th inning with a three-run home run and an RBI double to jump ahead, 4-0. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] responded by sending Ike Irish home on an RBI single to cut the Razorbacks’ lead to 4-1.

Arkansas’ Kendall Diggs, who scored a run in the 4th inning, sent another run across in the top half of the 6th inning to extend the deficit to 5-1. In danger of letting the game get away from them, Auburn responded by scoring six runs in the bottom frame to take the lead.

[autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] led off the inning with a home run, which sent Razorbacks pitching into a downward spiral. The next five batters would reach base with zero outs in the inning, which allowed two runs to score. The big blow of the inning came off the bat of McMurray, who crushed a three-run blast to push Auburn ahead, 7-5.

Over the next three innings, [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] combined to allow just one earned run with three strikeouts to limit Arkansas’ bats. Irish hit a solo home run in the 8th inning to deliver the final blow, and securing an Auburn win.

Auburn recorded 10 hits on the day, with McMurray, Irish, Maners, and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] leading the way with two hits each. McMurray drove home four runs while Irish scored two. On the mound, Joseph Gonzalez allowed four earned runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings in his first SEC start of the season. Carlson earned the win by tossing a three-hit, one-run effort in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Cannon slammed the door by striking out two batters without allowing a hit over the final two innings to grab the save.

Auburn will host Jax State for a midweek tilt on Tuesday in an effort to prepare them for another tough road test next weekend at Texas A&M. The Tigers and Gamecocks will battle at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Plainsman Park.

Runs Hits Errors LOB
No. 1 Arkansas 6 10 1 11
No. 24 Auburn 8 10 0 8

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Auburn passes first midweek test, downs UAB at Plainsman Park

The Tigers managed to defeat UAB, 7-2, on Tuesday despite recording just three hits in the contest.

Who says you need a dominating offense to win a baseball game convincingly?

The Auburn Tigers (4-0) earned its first midweek win of the season Tuesday by downing in-state foe UAB (2-2), 7-2, at Plainsman Park. Despite winning by five runs, Auburn only managed to record three hits in the contest.

“You’re usually not sitting here with the result you want if the other team scores first and you get outhit in the ballgame,” Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said after the game. “I give the guys some credit for just hanging in there and battling.”

The usual damage pieces in [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] teamed up to notch one hit each in the stat sheet while the rest of the Tigers’ lineup went 0-14 at the plate.

Auburn’s first official hit came in the top of the 2nd inning when Peirce led off the inning with a single to 3rd base. He later scored in the inning on a bases-loaded walk to [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag], putting the Tigers ahead, 1-0. Irish led off the 3rd inning by hitting a 420-foot home run off the batter’s eye in center field. Irish’s second home run of the season extended Auburn’s lead to 2-0.

Auburn waited three innings to earn its third and final hit of the game when Stanfield opened the 6th inning with a double to right field. [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] grounded out to 2nd base three at-bats later to send Stanfield home.

Auburn pitching made up for the lack of offensive power in the game as six pitchers combined to strike out 11 batters while allowing six hits, three walks, and two earned runs. [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] tossed 3.2 innings in his Auburn debut, striking out four batters and allowing two hits. Freshman [autotag]Griffin Graves[/autotag] earned the win by throwing two relief innings and striking out two batters. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] struck out the side in one inning of work on 14 total pitches.

The Tigers will now shift its focus to an exciting, yet challenging weekend ahead in Jacksonville, Florida. Auburn will compete in the Jax College Baseball Classic beginning Friday at 5 p.m. CT against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes. Auburn will also face No. 11 Virginia and Wichita State at 121 Financial Ballpark.

Check out these highlights from Tuesday’s win.

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Auburn clinches weekend series with Saturday win over Eastern Kentucky

Bobby Peirce recorded three RBI while Joseph Gonzalez tossed five innings in Saturday’s 6-1 win at Plainsman Park.

It was a cold day on the Plains, but the Auburn bats were hot.

[autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] recorded two hits as Auburn (2-0) claimed the first series win of the season by defeating Eastern Kentucky (0-2), 6-1 Saturday at Plainsman Park.

Auburn’s offense began, and ended, with Peirce on Saturday. Peirce put Auburn on the board first with a two-out triple in the 3rd inning to score [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] to push Auburn ahead, 2-0. He put a cap on scoring in the bottom of the 8th inning with a solo home run to extend Auburn’s lead to 6-1.

Ike Irish was Auburn’s offensive hero in Friday’s opener, and Peirce took control in game two. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] is pleased with the versatility of his offense through two games and hopes to see the trend continue.

“Two outs, two strikes, and (Peirce) hit that triple to get us going,” Thompson said Saturday. “We really needed that. I hope that this is an offense that we can keep talking about a different guy every night. I hope that’s how we’re built.”

Following Peirce’s triple in the 3rd inning, [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] crushed his first home run of the season over the right field wall to extend Auburn’s lead to 4-0. Auburn’s fifth run of the game came off the bat of Hernandez, who grounded out to the shortstop to allow [autotag]Sam Robertson[/autotag] to score from 3rd base.

Eastern Kentucky’s lone run was scored in the 5th inning when DJ Sullivan doubled home Santiago Peralta. Sullivan led the Colonels in hits with two.

Saturday also marked the return of [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] to the mound after missing 364 days due to a shoulder injury. He struck out two batters, walked three, and allowed an unearned run in five complete innings. [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag], [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag], and [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] combined to strikeout seven batters through the final four innings from the bullpen. Every out that Cannon recorded in the 9th inning was a strikeout.

The Tigers go for the sweep of Eastern Kentucky Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Auburn’s [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] will battle EKU’s Rian Yates on the mound.

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Auburn earns season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky in run-rule fashion

Ike Irish records four hits as Auburn crushes Eastern Kentucky to open the season.

Friday’s season opener gave the early impression of an offensive slugfest before Auburn ran away late.

Auburn (1-0) led Eastern Kentucky (0-1), 8-5 through five innings before scoring nine runs over the 6th and 7th innings to put the run-rule into effect. The Tigers outhit the Colonels, 11-7 on its way to 17-6 season-opening win Friday night at Plainsman Park.

A sold out crowd watched Auburn earn its first win of the season, and were entertained early as the Tigers scored seven runs in the first two innings.

A bases-loaded walk put Auburn ahead, 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The walk led to a three-run blast by [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] to extend the lead to 4-0. Eastern Kentucky answered in the top of the 2nd inning with two home runs to trim Auburn’s lead to 4-3. The Tigers took control of the game again in the 2nd inning with the highlight being [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag]’s two-run single to extend the lead to 7-4.

That single would provide two of the four RBI that Irish produced on Friday, with the final two scores coming off of a tape-measure solo blast in the 4th and a groundout in the 6th to score [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag].

Auburn solidified the game over the 6th and 7th innings. A groundout, an error, and two bases-loaded walks led Auburn to a five-run 6th inning. Auburn experienced its fourth bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning, which made way for a three-run double by [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] to end the game.

Irish led the way in hits with four, and joined Stanfield by recording four RBI in Auburn’s first win of the season. Weiss was next in line with two hits and three RBI. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] earned the win in relief by striking out one batter in 1 1/3 innings. Starter [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] went 4 2/3 innings, where he allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out five batters.

Auburn goes for the series win Saturday. [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] returns to the mound for Auburn, going against Quinton Hall of Eastern Kentucky. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at Plainsman Park.

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Auburn claims top-25 ranking in Baseball America’s preseason poll

Solid pitching and a great transfer portal haul will make Auburn extremely competitive in 2024.

Auburn baseball is poised for another successful season in 2024.

The Tigers have earned a spot in another preseason poll, this time from Baseball America. The publication has included Auburn in its preseason top 25 by giving them the No. 23 slot.

Auburn will need to replace key pieces such as [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], and [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], but has a great returning cast led by [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag]. Pitching-wise, the Tigers will be anchored by [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], who returns from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the 2023 season.

Returning pitching, as well as a solid transfer portal haul, is what will make Auburn competitive this season says Baseball America.

The Tigers must replace a lot offensively, but brought in some exciting players through the transfer portal to bolster the offense. On the mound, Opening Day starter [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] is back and healthy after missing nearly all of last season. If he recaptures his exceptional 2022 form and [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] makes a successful transition to the rotation, watch out for the Tigers.

Auburn is one of eight teams from the SEC that earned a top-25 ranking by Baseball America. Defending College World Series champion LSU is the conference’s highest-ranked team at No. 2 and is followed by Arkansas (No. 3), Florida (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 7), and Tennessee (No. 8) in the top 10. Texas A&M and South Carolina also grabbed a preseason ranking at No. 11 and No. 12 respectively.

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