MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Andreas Alvarez turned in 7.0 shutout innings while the offense collected double digits hits in No. 5 Auburn’s 10-0 run-rule victory against South Alabama Tuesday night at DABOS Park.
The shutout win marks Auburn’s fourth of the season and improves the Tigers to 20-4 on the year, all coming in the last 12 games.
”I just think it’s one of the most complete games we’ve played this year,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “The offense only struck out three times. I know we don’t feel like every one of our offensive players have reached their full potential yet. We’re at that midway point now, and it’s time to get going. I think they responded great to that with only striking out three times. Some low line drives and good at-bats all the way around.”
Alvarez (4-1) turned in a career-high 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. It marked his fourth straight start without allowing an earned run.
“That’s been one of the biggest things we’ve been working on to take that next step is coming into the game with my stuff set, getting out of that first inning without killing your pitch count early in the game so you can go deeper in games,” Alvarez said. “That was huge to be able to go seven tonight.”
Offensively, Auburn’s one, two, eight and nine hitters in Bristol Carter, Chris Rembert, Brandon McCraine and Cade Belyeu accounted for 10 of the team’s 12 hits. Rembert drove in a season-high four runs and homered for the third time in the last five games, while Belyeu collected a season-high three hits, including a two-run double in the seventh.
“It feels good to get on the barrel there in that last at-bat,” Belyeu said. “Obviously, it’s been kind of a struggle for me this season, so to get one on the barrel that last at-bat boosts my confidence. It was a great feeling that I haven’t had much of this year. I’m hoping to continue to have success and see how the rest of the season goes.”
Auburn struck first as Rembert hit a one-out single and Chase Fralick followed with a RBI double in the bottom of the first.
The early offense continued in the second as Carter hit a RBI single back up the middle and Rembert followed with a sac fly to the warning track in center field.
Rembert stepped to the plate for his third appearance in the fourth and ripped a two-run single through the left side to extend the lead to 5-0. He totaled three RBI in his first three plate appearances and accounted for another run scored.
With the offense doing its part, Alvarez retired 12 straight batters with seven outs coming on strikeouts from the end of the third through the start of the seventh innings. A one-out single in the seventh to break up the streak was quickly erased on a double play started by McCraine at shortstop.
Leading 5-0, Auburn extended its lead to nine with four runs in the seventh. Belyeu’s third hit of the game was a two-run double to right center, and Carter drove in his second and third runs of the contest with a two-run single to right.
Marcel Kulik relieved Alvarez to start the eighth inning and worked around a walk and hit batter to keep the shutout intact with a scoreless inning.
With the 10-run rule in effect, Rembert stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the eighth inning and sent the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field to end the game early. With a season-high four RBI in the game, the sophomore second basemen has driven in 13 runs in the last 11 contests.
Auburn continues Southeastern Conference play with a trip to Tuscaloosa to take on archrival No. 22 Alabama (18-7, 3-3 SEC) Friday through Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.