Nelson's complete game leads Auburn to run-rule of North Alabama
Game recap courtesy of Auburn Athletics
AUBURN, Ala. – Freshman lefty Drew Nelson pitched a complete game and Auburn received contributions up and down the lineup in a 14-1 run-rule victory against North Alabama Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.
The Tigers scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, receiving hits from eight of nine players in the lineup, while Nelson turned in the longest outing by an Auburn pitcher this season.
“We were locked in to start the game and just kept flipping the lineup,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “I’m excited about that lineup and excited about Drew Nelson and his growth. He’s kind of steadied himself, stayed in there and worked himself up the past few weeks.
“This is a team that is trying to get back healthy and get back into it,” Thompson added. “This last week has been really important for us. Any way, shape, form, or fashion you look at it, we’ve won four out of the last five and are about to go face another great opponent. We need to be building some momentum and be thinking a lot of ourselves at this stage.”
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Nelson (2-1, 5.09) earned his second straight win in the midweek, pitching an Auburn high 7.0 innings and striking out a season-high seven batters. After surrendering a run on a two-out double in the second inning, the freshman retired the next 15 batters he faced before issuing a two-out walk in the seventh.
“It feels good. I was able to prove myself a little bit,” Nelson said. “I’ve always known I’ve had it, and it has been showing up here recently.”
Cole Foster and Ike Irish led the way from the plate, combining to go 7-for-10 with six runs, two homers and six RBI.
“We put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, and our coaches just set us up for success, and it’s our job to execute the game plan,” Irish said. “I don’t think it’s me personally, it’s just us as a team. We’ve been really executing what we are supposed to do.”
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Auburn (17-7-1) started the scoring right out of the gate as Foster hit the fourth pitch delivered from North Alabama starter Avery Brown on top of the hitting facility in right field for his third homer of the season. Later in the frame, a pair of bases-loaded walks extended the lead, and Carter Wright hit a two-RBI single to left to make it 5-0. Caden Green capped off the six-run first inning with a RBI single through the left side.
The Tigers added to the lead on a RBI double from Cooper McMurray in the second and solo homer from Bryson Ware in the third to make it 8-1. The long ball was Ware’s team-best 12th of the year and his fifth in the last seven games.
With Nelson working 1-2-3 frames in the third through sixth innings, Auburn extended its lead to 10 on a 426-foot, three-run homer from Irish in the bottom of the fifth. The home runs was Irish’s second in the last three games after hitting his first in an Auburn uniform in game two against Georgia last Friday.
Ware hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 12-1, and Irish put the finishing touches on the offensive onslaught with a two-RBI single through the right side. He finished the game a triple shy of the cycle, driving in a season-high five runs while turning in his second four-hit game of the season.
The Tigers continue Southeastern Conference with a three-games series at No. 2 Florida (22-4, 5-1 SEC) Friday-Sunday.
