AUBURN, Ala. – Playing at Plainsman Park for the last time in the regular season, No. 2 Auburn run ruled Jacksonville State 19-1 Tuesday night.
The Tigers offense turned in its fourth straight game with double-digit runs and hits as five players collected multiple hits and four drove in multiple runs. In the last four games, Auburn has scored 65 runs on 67 hits.
"We knew the potential and have kind of strived for it all year long,” head coach Butch Thompson said of the offense. “To see them hook it up, especially now, is a big deal. They've stayed after it for a long time.
“The offense just does so much, and they’re capable. Top to bottom, there’s a lot of talent in this lineup. I’m glad we’re seeing it at this stage here recently,” Thompson added.
Graduate infielder Andrew Dutton made his Auburn in the bottom of the fifth inning and hit a pinch-hit solo homer on the fourth pitch he saw. He swung on a 2-1 fastball on the inner half of the plate and sent it on top of the hitting facility beyond the right field fence, sending his teammates pouring out of the dugout in celebration.
"The crowd going crazy was a dream come true,” Dutton said. “It’s what I've been waiting for. It was awesome. The guys have always been super supportive of just me and being the teammate that I am. That’s the biggest thing is just having those 40 best friends who really care about you.”
"It was movie script stuff to me,” Thompson added. “That's what it is all about. That’s the good stuff. You talk about capitalizing on a moment. We had a blast with that tonight. That was a special moment. He’s got that for life, to run around these bases in an Auburn uniform. He’s worked every day to be ready to play the game, and you’re rewarded for stuff like that.”
Cooper McMurray highlighted a five-run first inning with his second grand slam of the season and ultimately drove in a season high five runs. His home run was his 13th of the season and his fifth in the last nine games.
"When the bases are loaded, the objective is to get a job done early in the count,” McMurray said. “At this point in the season, there are no individual stats that matter. It's all about winning. When the three guys ahead of me get on base, it makes my job a lot easier. I was just trying to get a good pitch and put a good swing on the ball to get a job done."
Auburn (37-15) jumped out to an early lead on McMurray’s aforementioned grand slam, marking his second grand slam in the first inning this season. Chris Rembert and Eric Guevara started the game with walks and Ike Irish followed with a single to load the bases before McMurray’s home run. Lucas Steele and Bub Terrell traded doubles later in the inning to extend the lead to 5-0.
Making his seventh start of the season, Andreas Alvarez (2-1) faced the minimum in his first two inning thanks to a double play in the first and pickoff in the second.
Rembert hit a two-run home run in the third inning to extend the lead to 7-0. The long ball was Rembert’s 10th of the season, including his sixth in the last 10 games.
Leading by seven, Auburn sent 15 batters to the plate and scored a season-high 11 runs in the fourth inning to extend its lead to 18-0. The 11 runs were the most in an inning since also scoring 11 against Florida A&M on Mar. 1, 2023. Eight straight batters reached on six singles, a double and a walk with one out in the inning. Terrell started the scoring in the frame with his second RBI double and came around later in the inning to add a bases clearing double, marking his third double and pushing his RBI total to five. Deric Fabian drove in a pair of runs with a double, and Rembert, Guevara, McMurray, Eric Snow and Chase Fralick all added a run driven in.
Alvarez retired Jacksonville State (31-22) in order in the third, fourth and fifth frames to end his night having faced the minimum in 5.0 scoreless innings. He allowed one run and one walk and struck out two.
Parker Carlson and Mason Koch each turned in an inning in relief as Jacksonville State managed its lone run in the seventh inning and totaled four hits in the game.
Up next, Auburn finished the SEC schedule with a road trip to No. 22 Ole Miss (34-17, 14-13 SEC) Thursday through Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi.