ATLANTA – No. 9 Auburn scored four runs in the last three innings and Dylan Watts pitched a season-high 3.1 innings en route to defeating No. 15 Georgia Tech 9-8 Tuesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The win marked Auburn’s sixth one-run win and ninth win vs. a ranked opponent this season, including its fourth ranked win on the road.
“I think we’ve been through enough situations now with this team that whatever happens, I think we can settle and make pitches,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “Three of the last four games, we’ve come out and played offense, and we needed those late. Even if we didn’t get it done in the middle innings, when they got the lead, we were still close enough to strike back.”
Trailing by a run through seven innings, Auburn scored three runs on three hits to take a 9-7 lead in the top of the eighth. Deric Fabian tied the game with a one-out double to left center and started a string of four straight batters to reach. Bub Terrell gave the Tigers the lead with a single through the right side and Ike Irish added to the advantage by going the other way with a RBI single.
“We just didn’t blink and were able to hang in there and get some big swings off,” Irish said. “It’s a confidence booster knowing we can come back and win from behind. We’re figuring out ways to win. We still haven’t played our best baseball yet, but if we keep finding ways to win, we’ll peak eventually.”
Georgia Tech made it a one-run game with a RBI double from Drew Burress in the bottom of the eighth. However, Watts (2-0) buckled down with the tying run in scoring position and got out of the inning with a lead thanks to a popout and groundout.
The Yellow Jackets put the tying run aboard with a one-out error in the ninth, but a double play started by Cooper McMurray at first base ended the game.
"It meant a lot to me,” Watts said of finishing the win. “I feel like I’ve been throwing it a lot better and helping the team win lately. I felt great for the guys, being so resilient. There was no doubt in my mind they were going to come back and score some runs.”
After entering the game and recording the last out of Georgia Tech’s six-run sixth inning, Watts (2-0) ultimately recorded the last 10 outs, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and a strikeout in a season-high 3.1 innings.
“Dylan Watts had a moment,” Thompson added. “For a year and a half I’ve waited for a moment like that from him. He was going to finish that game regardless.”
Auburn (23-10) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as McMurray hit a grand slam four batters into the game. Chris Rembert was hit by a pitch and Terrell drew a walk before Irish singled to right to load the bases for McMurray. He swung on the second pitch and sent it well over the wall in center field, marking his team-best eighth home run of the season and 45th of his career.
Georgia Tech (26-7) chipped away at its deficit with a two-out single in the second, but Christian Chatterton bounced back the next inning and sat the Yellow Jackets’ nine, one and two hitters down in order.
The freshman issued a leadoff walk to start the fourth inning and was replaced by John Armstrong, making the 70th appearance of his Auburn career. The senior struck out a pair of batters and worked around a one-out walk, getting out of the inning unscathed with a flyout to center.
The Tigers added to their advantage with a run in the top of the fifth. Terrell started the inning with a single to left and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Eric Guevara.
Armstrong turned it over to Jett Johnston in the fifth, and the sophomore worked around a pair of two-out baserunners to keep the score 5-1 through five. However, Georgia Tech cut its deficit in half with a two-run home run to start the bottom of the sixth and ultimately took the lead with six runs on six hits, a hit batter and a walk in the inning. The last three runs in the inning came with two outs.
The first two Auburn hitters of the top of the seventh were retired, but Irish and McMurray reached on back-to-back walks and Guevara drove in his second run of the game with a single through the left side to make it a 7-6 game.
Watts faced the minimum in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a double play he assisted on, and the Tigers reclaimed the lead with the aforementioned top of the eighth.
The Tigers return to Plainsman Park to host No. 3 LSU (31-3, 10-2 SEC) in three games Friday through Sunday.