AUBURN, Ala. – No. 20 Auburn responded from last night’s loss with a 7-3 win to clinch the series against Old Dominion Sunday afternoon at Plainsman Park, marking the Tigers fourth straight winning non-conference weekend to start the season.
“There wasn’t much to say before the game today,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “We needed to actually play baseball. We needed to rebound. I told them that they know they’re prepared. We needed to get back out on the field and play baseball.”
Christian Chatterton (2-0) turned in his longest outing of the season and earned his second straight win. The freshman right hander allowed just one unearned run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings, marking his third straight start in which he has allowed just one run.
“I think I’m at a great spot with my offspeed pitches right now,” Chatterton said. “I think this is the best my changeup has been since I’ve been here, best my curveball has been, and then the slider is a work in progress but it’s getting a lot better and I feel good with it right now. Just coming out, landing breaking balls and attacking with the offspeed pitches has been working really well.”
Deric Fabian highlighted the offense that produced seven runs on 13 hits, marking its 10th game this season with double-digit hits. The senior shortstop went 2-for-5 with two RBI and hit what should have been two home runs.
Eric Snow led the way with three hits in the game, while Cooper McMurray and Chase Fralick matched Fabian with a pair of hits.
“Obviously yesterday wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but the response is really all that matters,” Fabian said. “I think our pitchers did a great job today, including the guy to my right, so I’m just happy with where our pitching staff is after yesterday.”
Chatterton worked a clean second with a pair of strikeouts, and Auburn (13-3) started the scoring with three straight singles to start the bottom of the inning. Chris Rembert drove in Cade Belyeu on an infield single, marking his 12th RBI in the last eight games.
Chatterton retired eight straight batters from the end of the first inning through the third, and the Tigers doubled their lead to 2-0 with a two-run home run from Fabian that was overturned after video review to a RBI double.
The offense continued to produce with a run in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs and nobody on, Bub Terrell singled, Bristol Carter drew a walk and Snow drove in Terrell from second on a single back up the middle.
Fabian stepped back to the plate to start the fifth inning and sent a high drive onto the second level of the War Eagle Wall in left field, this one marking his fourth home run of the season. Belyeu reached on an error after the solo homer and came in to score on Fralick’s RBI single to left center.
Old Dominion (4-9) got on the scoreboard with an unearned run on a sacrifice fly after a failed pickoff attempt in the top of the sixth.
Carson Myers, who entered in relief of Chatterton to end the sixth inning, held the Monarchs scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings, and the offense added to its advantage with a two-run home run from McMurray to make it a 7-1 game. The homer was McMurray’s team-best sixth of the season, including his second of the weekend.
Old Dominion answered with a two-run home run of its own in the top of the ninth, but Myers recorded the final three outs to earn his second 3.0-inning save of the season.
Auburn heads to Madison, Alabama, to take on UT Martin (6-8) at Toyota Field Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.