April 29, 2008
AUBURN, Ala. -
Troy scored three times in the top of the fourth inning and Auburn was unable to mount a comeback as it fell, 6-3, on Tuesday night in the final home non-conference game of the season for Auburn.
"Troy came in here with a five-something (5.34) ERA and we only muster six hits and three runs; It was not a very good night at the plate for us at all," Auburn Head Coach Tom Slater said.
Michael Hurst (2-4) took the loss for Auburn, allowing four runs on five hits in an inning of work.
"I feel for Michael Hurst. Right now he is a little snake-bit," Slater said. "He is a great kid and everyone on this team believes in him. He is a stud and he absolutely wears it personally."
Drew Hull (4-0) picked up the win in relief for Troy, allowing an unearned run on three hits and a walk in three full innings of work.
Josh Storm collected his eighth save of the season for Troy, holding Auburn without a base runner over the final 1.2 innings, striking out three.
Troy (27-19) took a 1-0 lead in the first on Beau Brooks' (3-for-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI) RBI double but Auburn (24-22) responded with a run in the bottom of the second on Matt Hall's (1-for-4) RBI double that scored Kevin Patterson (0-for-2, 2 BB).
The score remained that way until Steven Felix (3-for-5, 2B, RBI) drove in a run with a single and Bryan Miller (2-for-5) drove in two more with a RBI double, putting Troy up 4-1.
Auburn drew to within two at 4-2 on Brian Fletcher's (1-for-4, HR) solo blast over the scoreboard in left-center to lead off the fourth only to have Brooks blast the first of his two home runs to lead off the fifth to make it 5-2.
Auburn added a single run in the sixth when David Cunningham scored from second on an error by the Troy shortstop, Adam Bryant, to make it 5-3, but once again Brooks delivered a blast to lead off the seventh.
Joseph Sanders extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games with a fifth-inning single.
Auburn resumes its SEC schedule on Friday at 6pm CT against Mississippi State at Plainsman Park.