Feb. 28, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. - A day after struggling to mount any offense at all, the Auburn bats came alive in a big way on Saturday as Auburn scored 10 runs on 10 hits to take game three of its four-game series with No. 5 Florida State, 10-9, at Plainsman Park. Joseph Sanders connected for a big three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, his fourth home run in his last three games, as Auburn picked up its first win over Florida State since the 2006 season and handed Florida State (6-1) its first loss of the 2009 season.
"Yesterday was not a good day for us. We didn't have many good at bats, we didn't play well and we just didn't have a good day for Auburn baseball. I told (the team) today is another day and another opportunity," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "We got down early but these guys never seem to give up and they battled back and found a way to win a ballgame today."
Sanders finished the game 2-for-5 with a career-high-tying five RBI, blasting the homer in the sixth to go along with a single in the fourth as Auburn snapped a seven-game losing streak to Florida State.
"Coach Heath has us in the cages a lot and swinging the bats well. I am just in a groove right now and I hope it keeps going," Sanders said of his recent tear as he is 6-for-12 (.500) in the series against Florida State with four home runs and 10 RBI.
Austin Hubbard picked up his first career save by throwing the final 3.0 innings, with the only blemish on his ERA coming in the top of the eighth when Tyler Holt led off the inning with a solo home run to right-center.
"Yesterday kind of woke us up. Today we came out and got the bats going and the pitchers threw well," Hubbard said. "My role has changed over the last couple of years but I am really enjoying (being the closer). It feels good to be the guy they call on to finish the game."
"Austin handled the final three innings very well. He showed a great out-pitch and pitched with a lot of poise and composure out there," Pawlowski said of Hubbard. "We really needed that out of our bullpen."
Michael Hurst (1-0) picked up his first win of the season as he entered with two on and two down in the top of the sixth after Florida State had already scored three runs in the inning. After hitting the first batter he faced and issuing a walk to designated hitter Mike Meschke to load the bases, he induced a lineout by Stephen Cardullo to end the threat before turning the ball over to Hubbard.
Bo O'Dell (0-1) was tagged with the loss as he surrendered seven runs (five earned) on six hits in 2 1/3 innings. Making just his second appearance of the season he allowed three runs in the fourth and four in the sixth, including a solo home run by Brian Fletcher with one down in the sixth.
Jon Luke Jacobs went five innings in his second career start for Auburn, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out six, which matched his total from his first start.
Florida State touched Jacobs for two runs in the top of the first but the redshirt freshman settled down after that. Holt led off the inning with a double, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ohmed Danesh' sacrifice fly to right. Jason Stidham then doubled to right and came home on Meschke's sac fly to center for the early 2-0 lead after one.
Florida State went up 3-0 in the top of the third with Holt again being the catalyst, reaching first as he was hit by a pitch, stealing second and moving to third on Stidham's sacrifice bunt before scoring on Jacobs' second wild pitch of the game.
Auburn (3-4) answered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 3-3. Fletcher led off the inning with a single and went to third on Justin Hargett's double to right. Trent Mummey's single scored Fletcher and a passed ball scored Hargett to get Auburn to within a run, 3-2. Ben Jones picked up his first RBI of the game as he reached on a fielding error by FSU second baseman Tommy Oravetz with Mummey going from third on contact.
Florida State reclaimed the lead with a solo run in the top of the fourth on Rafael Lopez' RBI single to right before Auburn took its' second lead of the series with a three-run fourth. O'Dell entered the game in the fourth for FSU starter John Gast, who rolled his ankle in the third and was deemed unable to continue in the fourth. Fletcher was hit by an O'Dell pitch, Hargett reached on an error by FSU third baseman Stuart Tarpley and Mummey followed with a single to load the bases for Sanders. His single to right scored two and then Jones hit a sac fly to right to score Mummey and put Auburn ahead, 6-4.
Florida State stormed back with a four-run sixth to go ahead, 8-6, as Cardullo led off the inning with a solo home run to know Jacobs out of the game. Rus Harper relieved him and after getting Oravetz to ground out, allowed back-to-back singles to D'Vontrey Richardson and Lopez before a double by Holt scored one. A walk to Danesh and a sacrifice fly by Stidham knocked Harper out of the game in favor of Hurst.
Fletcher hit a one-out solo home run, his first of the season, to get the Auburn rally started in the sixth and bring Auburn to within a run at 8-7. Hargett and Mummey followed with back-to-back singles, setting the stage for Sanders' team-leading fifth home run of the season. Holt had apparently made a leaping catch on the ball, causing momentary confusion, but the momentum of the ball and Holt's collision with the wall knocked his glove and ball over the wall.
"I knew I had to get something in the air to get the guy from third base to the plate so we could get at least one run out of it," Sanders said of his sixth-inning at bat. "I went down 1-2 and he finally hung one that stayed up and I got a hold of it."
Mummey and Sanders combined to finish the game 5-for-9 with six RBI and four runs scored, bringing Mummey's team-leading runs total to 15 on the season.
Fletcher and Hargett, batting in the last two spots in the order, were a combined 4-for-6 with six runs scored.
The two teams are scheduled to play the final game of the four-game series at 1pm CT on Sunday. Auburn will send Sr. RHP Paul Burnside (0-0, 6.23 ERA) to the hill in the series finale while Florida State will throw So. RHP Mike McGee (1-0, 0.00).
Auburn 10, Florida State 9 (Feb 28, 2009 at Auburn, Ala.)
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Florida State....... 201 104 010 - 9 11 2 (6-1)
Auburn.............. 003 304 00X - 10 10 0 (3-4)
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Win-Michael Hurst(1-0) Save-Austin Hubbard(1) Loss-Bo O'Dell(0-1) T-3:06 A-2896
HR FS - Tyler Holt (1); Stephen Cardullo (1).
HR AU - Joseph Sanders (5); Brian Fletcher (1).
