COLUMBIA, Mo. – Behind stellar starting pitching from Jackson Sanders and Alex Petrovic, No. 5 Auburn completed a sweep of Missouri with a 4-3 win in 10 innings in game one followed by a 9-2 win in game two Saturday at Taylor Stadium.
The series sweep extended Auburn’s (17-2, 3-0 SEC) win streak to 10 games and marked the first road sweep to start Southeastern Conference play since 2010.
“I know a sweep on the road, how tough that is, how special that is,’ head coach Butch Thompson said. “I thought all six starting pitchers — their three, our three — were exceptional. That big inning was huge for us.
“It just gets tougher from here, but a good start to SEC play,” Thompson added. “All around, the guys continued to play tough and hard for us. This might not have been our best weekend series of playing baseball, but we’re in this league now and it’s going to be a grind and it’s going to be a fight.”
On the weekend, Auburn’s rotation of Jake Marciano, Sanders and Petrovic combined to pitch 21.2 of the 27 innings, each going at least 7.0 innings in their first career SEC starts. The trio turned in a 0.83 ERA, allowing two runs on nine hits with five walks and 23 strikeouts.
GAME ONE
The reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, Sanders picked up where he left off vs. Winthrop, striking out the side on 13 pitches in the first inning of his first career SEC start.
Missouri took advantage of a fly ball lost in the sun that resulted in a leadoff double and eventually a run in the bottom of the second. The home Tigers put runners on the corners with nobody out on a bunt single, but a double play and pop up to the catcher minimized the damage in the inning.
Sanders and Missouri starter Josh McDevitt combined to strike out 12 batters in the first three innings with totals of five and seven, respectively. Sanders ultimately turned in his second straight start of 7.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
Brandon McCraine reached for the 17th straight game with a leadoff walk in the fifth and advanced to third on a groundout and failed pickoff attempt before tying the game on a RBI groundout from Ethin Bingaman.
Similar to what happened to Bristol Carter in the second inning, McCraine lifted a fly ball to center field in the seventh, and it was lost in the sun to result in a one-out double that advanced Bub Terrell to third. Younger brother Mason McCraine then lifted a two-strike pitch deep enough to center to score Terrell and give Auburn its first lead of the game.
Auburn threatened to extend its advantage in the eighth, loading the bases with a walk, single, sacrifice bunt and intentional walk, and Terrell ultimately drew a base-loaded walk to make it a 3-1 game.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Missouri tied the game on a walk and back-to-back RBI singles. They threatened to end the game in their next at-bat, but a throw from Terrell in left field to Eric Guevara at third erased a leadoff single on a base hit down the line.
Auburn took the momentum into the top of the 10th and reclaimed the lead on a single down the right field line from Fralick, scoring Cade Belyeu after a leadoff hit-by-pitch and single from Chris Rembert.
Ryan Hetzler (3-0) returned to the mound in the bottom of the 10th and retired the top of the Missouri lineup in order with a groundout and back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
GAME TWO
Starting pitching remained the story in the finale as Petrovic and Missouri starter Brady Kehlenbrink combined to turn in 13.2 innings. Petrovic (4-0) earned his team-best fourth win of the season in a career-long 7.2 innings of work, allowing one run on four hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.
After threatening to start the scoring with a pair of baserunners in the top of the third, Auburn did so in its next at-bat. Bingaman laced a one-out double to left center and scored four pitches later as Brandon McCraine ripped a single to right center.
Petrovic needed just 38 pitches to get through the fourth and 48 pitches to get through the fifth, allowing just three baserunners on a walk and two hits to that point. However, Missouri tied the game on a one-out double followed by a RBI single in the sixth.
Auburn responded immediately, loading the bases on a single from the older McCraine, double from Lucas Steele and walk from the younger McCraine before ultimately scoring seven runs in the inning.
Todd Clay and Belyeu delivered back-to-back RBI singles and Rembert lifted a sacrifice fly to add another. Terrell extended the inning with a RBI infield single with two outs, and Bingaman put the exclamation mark on the seven-run frame with a three-run homer over the Missouri bullpen in left field.
Clay and Belyeu came back to the plate in the eighth, delivering back-to-back singles to score Mason McCraine after a walk and cap off the scoring for the visiting Tigers. The Auburn duo finished game two a combined 5-for-8 with three RBI.
Missouri added a two-out run in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
Auburn returns to Plainsman Park for four games against top-five opponents next week, starting with No. 3 Georgia Tech (17-3, 4-2 ACC) Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.