March 16, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - Dexter Price kept the Alabama A&M Bulldogs off the scoreboard for seven-plus innings and Tony Caldwell drove in Auburn's first two runs with a sacrifice fly and a solo home run as Auburn defeated Alabama A&M, 11-1, on Tuesday evening. Auburn held a slim 4-0 lead after seven before erupting for seven runs in the eighth inning to win its seventh straight at Plainsman Park.
"Tonight it was very important for us to pitch well and Dexter Price did a great job. Ten ground-ball outs in a game that the final score did not indicate how close this game was," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "Into the sixth inning the score is only 2-0 so it was important that we had someone out there that got ground balls and was ahead all night and Dexter was very efficient with his pitches."
Making just his second start of the season, Price was nearly flawless during the first seven innings, allowing just three hits and a walk with none coming in the same inning. Only after Alabama A&M led off the eighth with a double did he leave the game, having already matched his career high with six strike outs while pitching into the eighth for the first time in his career.
"I felt like I struggled a bit with my off-speed so I had to go out there and work with what coach (Pawlowski) said, keeping the fastball down in the zone," Price said. "Luckily I had a great defense behind me and they were able to get the ground balls," Price said.
For the offense, it was slow going at the start against Alabama A&M starter Juan Flores (1-1), with the exception of Caldwell. In the first he hit a towering shot that only a leaping catch against the wall by Alabama A&M left fielder Diego Lopez could keep from being at least a run scoring double but was instead was a sacrifice fly to score Justin Bryant (1-for-3, 3B, 2 BB, 2 RBI).
In the fourth Caldwell struck again, blistering a solo home run off the batter's eye in center, his second home run of the season that put Auburn up 2-0.
Auburn scored two more in the sixth on a Dan Gamache (2-for-4) RBI double and an two-base error by Alabama A&M center fielder Steven Wimpeye on Ryan Jenkins' (0-for-3, BB) pop fly to take a 4-0 lead, effectively ending Flores' night after he allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks.
Auburn put the game away with a seven-run eighth, collecting just three hits, all for extra-bases, but benefiting from four walks, an error, a hit batter, a balk, a passed ball and a wild pitch. Wes Gilmer (1-for-3, 2 R) started the action with his first home run of the season to lead off the inning and then Kevin Patterson (0-for-2, BB) and Jenkins drew back-to-back walks. Consecutive triples by Bryant and Creede Simpson (2-for-5, R, RBI) brought in two more and preceded another set of back-to-back walks to Hunter Morris (0-for-4, BB) and Caldwell. A balk put Morris and Caldwell on second and third before a Casey McElroy (1-for-3) sac fly brought Morris in. A wild pitch with Caldwell on third capped the scoring, giving Auburn an insurmountable 11-0 lead heading to the ninth
Alabama A&M (10-5) avoided the shutout by scoring an unearned run off of Ty Kelley in the ninth.
The two teams will play the final game of the series on Wednesday at 6:30pm. Fr. RHP Slade Smith is set to make his first start for Auburn on the mound while Alabama A&M has not announced its starter yet.
Auburn 11, Alabama A&M 1 (Mar 16, 2010 at Auburn, AL)
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Alabama A&M......... 000 000 001 - 1 5 2 (10-5)
Auburn.............. 100 102 07X - 11 9 2 (10-5)
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Win-Dexter Price(2-0) Loss-FLORES,Juan(1-1) T-2:33 A-1761
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