April 7, 2017
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AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" SEC strikeout leader Casey Mize pitched seven shutout innings as No. 7 Auburn baseball defeated Texas A&M 2-1 Friday at Blue Bell Park.
"Casey was sharper tonight with his execution," Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. "He wound up throwing a pretty high pitch count, but man he was just sharp. They had some deeper at-bats, but not ball was squared. He was sitting there with what seemed like one hit all night. That was actually a chopped ground ball that was harmlessly hit to third in a good spot. That was a special night by Casey and fun to watch."
With the victory Auburn (24-8, 8-2) improved to 9-2 in one-run games. The eighth SEC win of the year for the Tigers matches the final total from 2016.
Mize (5-1) pitched seven scoreless innings with only two hits allowed. He tied his career high with 12 for the second-straight week and picked up his fourth career double-digit strikeout performance.
He leads the SEC with 75 strikeouts on the year.
The Aggies (20-11, 3-7 SEC) rallied in the ninth with a solo home run by Joel Davis, but Andrew Mitchell got the final three outs for his second save.
Cole Lipscomb pitched a scoreless eighth, but allowed the solo homer to lead off the ninth.
Jay Estes got the scoring started in the third with a 2-run double that scored Damon Haecker and Will Holland to give Auburn a 2-0 lead.
Estes finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Aggie starter Brigham Hill (5-3) allowed two runs in six innings. He struck out eight with four walks. Reliever Cason Sherrod limited the Tigers to one hit in three scoreless innings.
Cole Bedford had two hits for Texas A&M.
Auburn and the Aggies continue the series Saturday at 3 pm.