April 3, 2018
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AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn's offense exploded for its most runs in a month as the No. 13 Tigers defeated Alabama A&M, 19-5, Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.
Auburn (23-7) turned in eight extra-base hits, including five doubles and three home runs, and scored in seven of its eight innings at the plate. Eight Tigers recorded a hit in the game, including five with two or more. Sixteen position players saw action and 12 reached base at least once.
On a night when eight Auburn pitchers took the mound, including the first appearances for both Andrew Mitchell and Cody Greenhill in three-plus weeks, left-hander Elliot Anderson (4-0, 4.91) got the win after tossing 1.2 perfect innings of relief with a strikeout. Opposite the Auburn pitching staff, Alabama A&M (7-22) starter Blaine Milam (0-9, 10.75) suffered the loss.
"I'm glad everybody got an opportunity to contribute and play," head coach Butch Thompson said. "I think that helps with everybody's hard work and it helps us get guys out of the ballgame at this halfway point in the season. We had three keys to the ballgame: competitive at-bats, swinging at strikes, and respecting the game. I thought we did pretty well at all three."
Edouard Julien paced the offensive attack as he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, one home run, three RBI, five runs scored and reached base in all six plate appearances. Julien became the first Auburn player to score five runs in a game since 2009.
"Julien got our game ball for sure because he went to all three parts of the park," Thompson said. "He had a home run to right and a ball off the wall to both left and straight away center field. He took his walks too. He had a great night at the plate, and wherever the ball was pitched, he hit it. Hopefully that helps us kind of reset and get back to a quality offensive approach."
Brett Wright got the Auburn offense going early with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first. The long ball was Wright's team-best seventh of the season, making him the first Auburn catcher with seven home runs since Tony Caldwell in 2011.
Brendan Venter came right back in the bottom of the second inning and hit a home run of his own to increase the lead back to three after the Bulldogs got one in the top of the second. Auburn went on to score in each of its first four at-bats.
Alabama A&M was able to cut the Auburn lead to 9-5 with a two-run top of the sixth inning, but the Tigers responded with four runs in each of its next two at-bats. The pair of four-run frames gives Auburn 22 innings with four or more runs this season, matching its total from all of last year.
Julien provided the big blow in the home half of the sixth with a two-run home run to right field off Bulldog reliever Jose Figueroa. It was Julien's sixth home run of the season and the team's 31st, surpassing its total from all of last year. Later in the frame, Will Holland ripped a two-RBI single to center field to make it 13-5.
Julien came back around in the bottom of the seventh and sent a RBI double off the wall in straightaway center field to drive in his third run of the game and 26th of the season. Josh Anthony and Judd Ward both followed with RBI doubles before Jeremy Johnson scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 17-5.
With Auburn's bullpen combination of Anderson, Ryan Hoerter and Greenhill holding Alabama A&M scoreless in the final three innings, the Tigers concluded its offensive output in the eighth inning on a RBI from Bowen McGuffin and bases-loaded wild pitch.
Along with Julien's three-hit night, Holland, Wright, Conor Davis and Jay Estes each recorded two hits in the game. Wright and Julien led the way with three RBI apiece, while Holland, Davis and Anthony drove in a pair.
Auburn gets back to Southeastern Conference play with a road trip to No. 5 Arkansas (19-9, 5-4 SEC) this weekend. The three-game series in Fayetteville is scheduled to begin Friday at 6:30 p.m.