Feb. 18, 2018
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AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn baseball opened the 2018 season with a sweep of Longwood by defeating the Lancers, 3-0, at Plainsman Park Sunday afternoon. The sweep was the Tigers' first on Opening Weekend since 2013.
An impressive debut from freshman right-hander Tanner Burns led the Auburn (3-0) pitching staff to its second shutout in three games. The Tigers' staff allowed just one combined run against Longwood (0-3), marking the first time allowing one run in a series since doing so against Ole Miss from Mar. 12-13, 1988.
"We threw strikes, and we pounded the strike zone," head coach Butch Thompson said. "The game of baseball is different every day, and we came out on Sunday wondering if we have one more piece that we feel in our hearts can go out there and give us some good innings. Tanner Burns answered that today."
Burns (1-0, 0.00) tossed 5.0 scoreless innings and allowed four hits with no walks and six strikeouts en route to earning his first collegiate win. The Decatur, Ala., native began his Auburn career by retiring the first six batters he faced -- five via strikeouts.
"I was nervous at first, but right when I stepped on the mound I realized it was the same game, just a higher level," Burns said. "I had to put that in the back of my head. I felt good out there, but there's still some stuff I need to work on."
Opposite Burns, Longwood starter Michael Catlin (0-1, 6.59) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in 4.1 innings.
With Burns cruising on the mound, the Auburn offense got going in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out, two-RBI double down the right-field line by Conor Davis.
Longwood threatened to cut into the Auburn lead after three singles to start the fifth inning loaded the bases with nobody out. However, after Luke Jarvis made a nice play at second base to record a force out at the plate, Burns buckled down to retire the next two Longwood hitters and keep the Lancers off the scoreboard in his final inning of work.
Dylan Ingram drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to provide an insurance run in the home half of the fifth inning, and that was all the Tigers needed as left-hander Elliott Anderson and righty Calvin Coker each pitched two scoreless innings.
Coker, who made his second appearance of the weekend, earned his first save of the season by retiring all six batters he faced. The Kyle, Texas, native has retired 12 of 13 batters faced this season with eight strikeouts.
Offensively, the Tigers wrapped up the weekend with 34 runs, marking the most runs scored in a series scoring 35 runs in vs. Oral Roberts from Mar. 11-13, 2016.
Auburn stays busy in the early portion of its schedule with a pair of midweek games. The Tigers host Georgia State Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT before welcoming Troy to town the following day at 4 p.m.