Feb. 19, 2011
AUBURN, Ala. - Virginia starter Tyler Wilson held Auburn to just three hits over six full innings of work as the No. 23 Auburn baseball team fell, 13-2, on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park. The loss evens Auburn's record at 1-1 while No. 13 Virginia is now 2-0.
"We didn't do too many things right in the second half of the game," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "Cory Luckie gave us a chance. He threw the ball well. It was a close ballgame and then a couple of things didn't go our way. Virginia was outstanding today. We couldn't get anything going and this is a disappointing and frustrating loss."
Luckie (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out five in 5 1/3 innings. Auburn's bullpen of Bradley Hendrix (1 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SO), Will Kendall (1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB) and Jay Wade (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 3 R [unearned], 3 BB) were roughed up for nine runs (five earned) in 3 2/3 innings.
The game was scoreless for the first four innings before Virginia scored three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, with all six runs coming with two outs in the inning. Back-to-back doubles by John Hicks (1-for-4, 3 RBI) and Danny Hultzen (3-for-5, 3 2B, 3 RBI) pushed the three runs across in the fifth while it was a walk and three singles that inflicted all the damage in the sixth.
Virginia added three-run eighths and ninths to put the game out of reach and make a winner of Wilson (1-0), who never allowed a runner to reach second through the first six innings, only facing four hitters in an inning twice.
Mike Reed went 1-for-1 with RBI and a run scored in two plate appearances after entering as a pinch hitter in the eighth while Tyler Dial also picked up his first RBI of the season with an eighth-inning, pinch-hit single.
In the day's second game, Ryan Ussery's eighth-inning two-run home run boosted UAB (1-1) to a 5-3 win over Arkansas State (0-2). Reliever Ryan Nance pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for UAB to pick up the win, surrendering just two hits.
Auburn returns to the diamond on Sunday at 3pm when it faces UAB. Auburn will send right-hander Derek Varnadore to the mound while UAB will counter with righty Michael Busby.
Virginia 13, Auburn 2 (Feb 19, 2011 at Auburn, AL)
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Virginia............ 000 033 133 - 13 17 0 (2-0)
Auburn.............. 000 000 011 - 2 8 2 (1-1)
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Win-Tyler Wilson(1-0) Loss-Cory Luckie(0-1) T-2:43 A-4096
Auburn-Virginia Box Score in PDF Format
UAB-Arkansas State Box Score in PDF Format
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