AUBURN, Ala. – No. 17 Auburn claimed its third consecutive Southeastern Conference opening weekend series with a 5-2 victory over No. 21 Tennessee Saturday night at Plainsman Park.
The win not only gives Auburn (17-2, 2-0 SEC) its fifth straight series victory to open the season, but also marks the team's 12th win in a row, which is the program's third longest streak since 2000.
Auburn native Brooks Fuller (1-0, 1.38) entered the game in the top of the fifth inning and picked up his first career win. Fuller allowed one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.
"(Brooks) just kept competing and did it," head coach Butch Thompson said. "Once you get to Southeastern Conference play, you're trying to give your team the best shot to win a ballgame. That was a special opportunity on a big stage. For him to step up and do that against a very good ball club, I tip my hat. Hopefully that'll be something he can breed some confident with by what he did tonight."
Opposite Fuller, Tennessee starter Zach Linginfelter (4-1, 2.70) suffered his first loss of the season after running into trouble in the fifth inning.
Tennessee (17-3, 0-2 SEC) drew first blood in the top of the second when Pete Derkay hit a solo home run off starting pitcher Jack Owen. The run was the first earned run Owen allowed this season and in a record 28.2 innings dating back to last season.
The Tigers got the run back in the bottom of the fourth on swift baserunning from Will Holland. After drawing a four pitch walk, the Lawrenceville, Georgia, native swiped a pair of bases and scored on a ground ball to third base off the bat of Rankin Woley.
Auburn took the lead for good with a four-run bottom of the fifth. Matt Scheffler lifted a RBI single just onto the right field grass to plate Ryan Bliss. Two batters later, Woley drove in his team-leading 19th run of the season on an infield single that brought Scheffler home. The inning was kept alive when a close play at second base was reviewed and overturned, and Edouard Julien capped the frame with a two-RBI single to right field.
From there, Fuller kept the Tennessee bats at bay by retiring seven straight batters from the sixth until the eighth innings.
"Coach Smith preaches to us all the time pitchers can't score," Fuller said. "I was just trying to go give us a shot to win. The fastball command wasn't there early, and really it was the curveball that kept me in the game the first two innings. I was just trying to give us a chance."
Elliott Anderson made his team-leading ninth relief appearance of the season and third in the last three games. He pitched the final 1.1 innings with a walk and a strikeout to cap off the win.
Offensively, Judd Ward collected his fourth multi-hit game of the season, and ninth of his career. Julien drove in a pair of runs for the 25th time as a Tiger, while Williams reached base for the 25th straight game dating back to last season.
The Tigers will go for the series sweep against the Volunteers at 1 p.m. tomorrow. Auburn will send left-hander Carson Skipper (3-0, 2.84) to the bump opposite Tennessee right-hander Will Neely (2-1, 6.16).