Tag: Mason Maners

Former Auburn outfielder Mason Maners returning to Plains as assistant chaplain

Maners will remain a key part of Butch Thompson’s staff after spending the 2024 season as an outfielder for the Tigers.

Former Auburn Tiger outfielder [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] announced last week that he would be returning to the team as an assistant Chaplain in 2024.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Maners exclaimed, “One year in Auburn is not enough! God has made a way for me to return to Auburn Baseball and serve as an assistant Chaplain.”

Despite only spending one season on the Plains, Maners became a key component of head coach Butch Thompson’s lineup last season. The Vestavia Hills, Alabama native ranked third among all Tiger hitters with a .296 batting average while reaching base at an extremely impressive .429 clip. While his on-field statistics were great, Maners became a big enough influence in the dugout and locker room for Butch Thompson to invite him onto the staff next season.

Auburn baseball took a step back in the 2023-2024 season, as the Tigers finished towards the bottom of the SEC with a 27-26 overall record. Thompson has been working hard in the transfer portal to overhaul his pitching rotation and lineup.

Now Auburn’s coach has added a familiar face to the coaching staff in hopes of bouncing back next spring. Maners and the Tigers will look to propel the momentum from their regular season finale series win over Alabama last spring into further success next season.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Auburn adds catcher Lucas Steele from Transfer Portal

Steele hit 16 home runs and sent home 51 last season as a freshman at Samford.

Auburn Baseball needs to address several areas ahead of the 2025 season and is off to a great start by adding a power bat from the transfer portal.

[autotag]Lucas Steele[/autotag], a freshman catcher from Hoover, announced this week that he is transferring to Auburn after spending his first collegiate season at Samford.

“I love the guys at Samford and I love the coaches and players,” Steele said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “Some of those guys will be my best friends for life. I wanted to bet on myself and take the chance to play bigger. It’s just something I had the opportunity to do. I’m blessed to be given this opportunity.”

Making the move to Auburn has potential to work out favorably for both parties. For Auburn, the Tigers add power by bringing in Steele, who hit 16 home runs and plated 51 RBI while hitting .315 at the plate for the Bulldogs. For Steele, its a chance to play baseball for his dream school.

“Auburn has been a part of my whole life,” Steele said. “We grew up Auburn fans. I have been to Auburn football games and baseball games. My brother in law (Richard Fitts) actually pitched at Auburn. That’s where him and my sister met. There’s another connection.”

Auburn will look to find several pieces to replace outgoing players such as [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag]. Eight players from last season’s roster currently occupy the transfer portal, which will allow head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] the space to add useful players to next season’s roster in an effort to improve upon its disappointing 2024 campaign which ended without an appearance in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C72wo_mMuJS/

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Recap: Auburn baseball struggles carry on, loses to Ole Miss

Auburn baseball begins the month of May with a loss to Ole Miss, a win it desperately needed to keep any SEC Tournament hopes alive

Auburn baseball is attempting to fight its way into the SEC Tournament after it has struggled for the entirety of conference play, only winning three games up to this point. The Tigers have to play nearly perfect from here on out, which begins by playing Ole Miss.

Unfortunately, the start to this series did not go as Auburn hoped, as it lost to the Rebels in game one of this set on Friday, 11-7.

The scoring in this game got started early. In the top of the 1st, Ole Miss left fielder Jackson Ross took the first pitch he saw and sent it over the left field wall, putting his team on top 1-0.

The Tigers did not let that early run pass by so easily, though. With two runners on and one out in the bottom of the 2nd, [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] reached on an error that was able to score in an Auburn run, tying the game up.

This is where the Rebels started to pour on though, as they wanted to put this game to bed quickly. They got two runners on with one out in the top of the 3rd before Ross came back to the plate and doubled down the left field line to score in one.

Andrew Fischer followed this up with a three-run homer to right field, giving Ole Miss a quick 5-1 lead on the road.

The Tigers clawed back in the bottom of the 4th with one out. Green got down the line quickly to complete an infield single to third base, putting two runners on. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] then hit an RBI single and advanced to second base on a throw, putting two runners in scoring position.

Immediately after this, [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] stepped to the plate and hit a ball towards the right side, where an error was made that allowed both runners on base to score, making it a 5-4 game.

The Rebels did not let this last for long. In the top of the 5th, Ross got things going with two outs in the form of a single to center field. Fischer then followed this up with a double down the right field line, putting Ross at third.

This set Will Furniss up to send a deep shot into center field and over the wall for another three-run home run.

Luke Hill kept the party going with a double into right center, before Judd Utermark hit a double right after to score him. This put Ole Miss up 9-4.

The Rebels struck again in the top of the 7th, when with the bases loaded and two outs, Eli Berch took a free pass and brought in the 10th run for his team.

Auburn made a quick answer in the bottom half of the inning. With [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] on second, Green came in clutch once again, singling to center field and making it a 10-5 game. However, the Tigers still needed some late heroics to win this.

Ole Miss made those even harder to come by later on. In the top of the 9th, Treyson Hughes rattled off an RBI single to extend the lead back to six runs.

The Tigers did make some noise in their final chance. With two runners on and one out, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag], scoring [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] from second.

[autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] then walked to load the bases, creating some tension on the field. After a strikeout, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] walked to bring in another run for Auburn. That would be all, though, as [autotag]Gavin Miller[/autotag] then struck out to end the game.

[autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] was given the loss for the Tigers, dropping to 0-3 on the season. He pitched for three full innings, giving up five runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking one.

Riley Maddox earned the win for the Rebels. He worked for five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. He also struck out three and walked two.

Auburn has a chance to even the series up in game two on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

Recap: Offensive surge propels Auburn to game one win over Tennessee

An offensive party in the 1st and 2nd innings propelled Auburn baseball to a game one win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday

After getting swept in its last series against Texas A&M, Auburn baseball looked to bounce back in SEC play, returning home to begin a three-game series with the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers on Friday.

Game one at Plainsman Park proved to be a great start in that effort, as the Tigers put on a phenomenal offensive showing in the first couple of innings to defeat Tennessee, 9-5.

Worries set in early in the top of the 1st, though. Christian Moore led the game off with a double for the Volunteers. After he advanced to third on a wild pitch, Blake Burke hit a double of his own to score Moore, giving Tony Vitello’s squad a 1-0 lead.

Kavares Tears came up later in the inning to continue the fun, smashing a two-run home run to give Tennessee an early 3-0 lead, something Auburn did not need to see.

However, after two outs in the bottom of the 1st, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] got a hold of a pitch and sent it over the wall for a solo blast, cutting the score to 3-1.

Back-to-back singles by [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] set [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] up to hit a single of his own, scoring McMurray.

The fun was not finished there. [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] joined the party with a three-run home run, turning what was a three-run deficit into a 5-3 lead for the Tigers.

That lead would not last for long, though, as in the top of the 2nd, Moore came back to the plate for the Volunteers after a single by Cal Stark and hit a two-run home run over the center field fence. The game was once again tied, this time at 5-5.

After a leadoff strikeout to begin the bottom of the 2nd, [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] doubled to right field before [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] singled on a bunt to the third base side. This led to a single by Irish that brought in Maners, giving the lead back to Auburn.

After a McMurray walk to load the bases, Peirce reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Weiss. Hall came up immediately after a singled through the left side, scoring Irish and giving the Tigers an 8-5 advantage.

Nobody scored again until the bottom of the 6th. With runners on the corners and one out, McMurray hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored the ninth run of the game for Auburn, making it 9-5 and ending the scoring overall.

The Tigers closed out Tennessee without any scoring threats being made to secure the game one victory.

[autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] got the win in relief for Auburn, improving to 2-2 on the season. He pitched 3.2 innings on the mound, giving up no runs on three hits, striking out four and walking three.

AJ Causey picked up the loss for the Volunteers, dropping to 5-2 on the year. He only pitched 1.1 innings, giving up eight runs on eights hits. He struck out four hitters as well.

The Tigers will take the field for game two on Saturday with the hopes of winning their first conference series of the year. First pitch for that contest is set for 3:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @TRaley34

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

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

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Recap: Auburn surrenders late home run, drops game two to No. 1 Arkansas

For the second-straight game, the No. 24 Tigers lose to the nation’s top team by one run.

For the second game in a row, No. 24 Auburn fell short of its goal of earning a win over No. 1 Arkansas.

The Tigers and Razorbacks were tied 5-5 heading into the 9th inning. After recording the first out of the inning, Arkansas’ Ryder Helfrick crushed the first pitch of his at-bat over the left field wall to push the Hogs ahead. The solo home run would prove to be the decisive blow, as Arkansas earned the 6-5 win over Auburn on Friday night at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

It marks the second-straight game that Auburn has dropped a one-run decision to Arkansas, as they fell to the Razorbacks 1-0 in Thursday’s series opener.

Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] hopes to see his team continue to give solid effort despite its recent string of tough losses.

“We don’t always have control over the result or outcome, but we do our effort,” Thompson said postgame. “That’s what I have to do the best job I possibly can of right now. Hopefully they’ll bust through and it’ll go their way.”

Friday’s game would see more production from the plate, but it was not enough for Auburn to earn the victory. Each team traded blows before Helfrick’s 9th-inning home run. The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the 1st inning when a groundout by [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] allowed [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] to score, pushing Auburn ahead 1-0.

The Razorbacks answered in the top of the 2nd inning with a solo shot by Ben McLaughlin to tie the game at 1-1. Auburn responded by adding two more in the 3rd inning before the Hogs produced three runs in the 4th to take a 4-3 lead.

A throwing error in the 5th inning followed by a 6th inning RBI single by Weiss pushed Auburn ahead again, 5-4, but Arkansas would score the game’s final two runs to take the win.

Auburn got a solid outing from its pitching staff in Friday’s loss. Starter [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] allowed five hits and three runs in six innings of work. [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag] allowed three hits in 2 1/3 innings, and [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] closed the game by recording the final two outs of the game. The trio combined to strike out 11 batters.

At the plate, Cooper Weiss, [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag], and [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] each recorded two hits.

Auburn looks to salvage a game in its series with Arkansas on Saturday. First pitch for the final game of the series is set for 1 p.m. CT, and can be seen on SEC Network+. [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] will battle Mason Molina on the mound.

Runs Hits Errors LOB
No. 1 Arkansas 6 8 2 6
No. 24 Auburn 5 10 2 10

WP: Cooper Dossett (1-0) | LP: John Armstrong (0-1) | S: Will McEntire (2)

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Recap: Pitcher’s duel goes in favor of Arkansas in game one

After dropping all three games in its opening SEC series, Auburn baseball dropped its first home game of conference play to Arkansas.

The Auburn Tigers returned to Plainsman Park on Thursday in search of their first win in SEC play, following its winless performance against Vanderbilt. They would have to do so at the hands of the nation’s top-ranked team in Arkansas, though, so the challenge would be anything but easy.

Auburn (14-7) opened up its series with the Razorbacks (18-2) with a game that was back-and-forth battle between the pitching staffs of both teams. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they finished on the losing end of that fight, 1-0.

That lone run from Arkansas came in the 1st inning. After two quick outs to open the game up, Wehiwa Ahoy blasted a home run over the right field wall. At that point, it seemed as if an offensive battle was going to take place.

The rest of the game was actually anything but.

Auburn had a chance to tie the game up in the 1st with two outs when [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] made it to scoring position on a wild pitch. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] struck out swinging soon after, ending the threat.

The Razorbacks almost extended the lead in the 3rd with runners on second and third with one out. That was when right fielder [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] caught a fly ball and threw a runner out at the plate to end the top half of the inning.

The Tigers also had a chance to make a run at the lead with runners on second and third in the 4th inning, but nothing resulted of it.

The next big threat came about in the bottom of the 6th when Auburn had the bases loaded and two outs. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] would ground out towards the first base side, keeping the Tigers scoreless.

The rest of the game went pretty quietly, with every out being crucial on both sides. Auburn was never able to make a run, ultimately dropping the contest.

Arkansas ace pitcher Hagen Smith picked up his fourth win on the season. He struck out 12, walked two and gave up three hits in the game.

[autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] was given the loss. In addition to giving up the lone run, he gave up four hits, struck out four and walked two. He drops to 3-1 on the season.

Auburn’s second game with the Razorbacks is set for Friday, with first pitch being set for 6 p.m. CST.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

Recap: Walk-off by Maners gives Auburn game one victory over Austin Peay

After going down in the 8th inning, Auburn hits home runs in back-to-back innings, including a Mason Maners walk-off, to beat Austin Peay.

Auburn baseball’s final weekend series before the beginning of conference play started with many twists and turns against Austin Peay, but the Tigers managed to win the game late with two home runs, securing their 11th win of the year.

Despite the game being pushed to an earlier time, Auburn (11-2) saw it as a chance to have early success. The offense wasted no time getting to work as a result.

After [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] hit a single to begin the bottom half of the 1st and advanced to second base on a balk, [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] came up with two outs in the inning to hit an infield single that would score Weiss, giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

The fun would continue in the 2nd inning, as two walks began the Auburn half, giving way to [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag], who hit a single in order to load the bases up. Following that, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] drew a walk while [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] got hit by a pitch to score in two more runs, extending the lead to three.

McMurray capped off the party by putting a single into right center, scoring both Irish and Hernandez. Auburn ended the 2nd with a 5-0 lead, but went cold starting in the 3rd, not gaining anymore offensive momentum until the 8th. That break was when the Governors decided to strike.

The 3rd inning saw Clayton Gray stroke a single of his own into right center, driving in two runs to get Austin Peay on the board. Jon Jon Gazdar then singled into left field in the 5th with the bases loaded, scoring two more.

In the 7th, Lyle Miller-Green completed the comeback for the Governors, hitting a home run to left center, tying the game at 5-5. Justin Olson later singled in the 8th, scoring in a run to give his team a 6-5 lead.

[autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] decided the party would stop right then, though, as with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the 8th with two outs, he sent a rocket over the right field wall to tie the game once again, giving the Tigers momentum.

[autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] took this momentum to heart and did not allow the game to head for extras. Leading off the bottom of the 9th, he sent a no-doubt home run into right field, winning the game for Auburn 7-6.

[autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] earned the win as the final pitcher of the day, going 1.1 innings, allowing no hits and no runs. He struck out one and walked one as well.

The walk-off win improves head coach Butch Thompson’s team to 11-2 on the year as Auburn prepares for games two and three of the series. First pitch for game two is set for 1 p.m. CST on Saturday.

Runs Hits Errors LOB
Austin Peay 6 9 0 7
No. 20 Auburn 7 8 1 4

WP: Bauman (2-0) LP: Hampu (1-1)

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34