Auburn Hits Three Three-Run Home Runs In 14-2 Win Over Davidson

[AUSportTalk 4]

AUBURN, Ala. – Trent Mummey, Joseph Sanders and Casey McElroy each hit

three-run home runs as Auburn cruised to a 14-2 win over Davidson on

Wednesday night at Plainsman Park. The three combined to drive in 10 of

the team’s 14 RBI as Auburn collected its third straight win to move to

5-4 on the season.

“When you look at the lineup from top to bottom we contributed in a lot

of different ways,” Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “One of the

things we put a lot of emphasis on is making sure when we get a pitch to

hit, guys are turning it loose. We put some good swings on some balls

early.”

Mummey’s fourth home run of the season came in the bottom of the second

with Auburn already ahead 1-0 thanks to Ben Jones’ first-inning

sacrifice fly. Wes Gilmer led off the second with a single and moved to

second on a McElroy sacrifice bunt before Justin Hargett drew a walk.

Mummey then lashed a shot to right, equaling his home run total from his

freshman season in just the ninth game of 2009.

Davidson (4-4) held Auburn scoreless in the third but that would be the

only inning that Auburn was held off the board as Auburn put up another

three runs in the fourth on Sanders’ sixth home run of the season.

Hargett and Mummey drew one-out walks to get the rally going before

Sanders’ deposited his shot over the wall in left, also equaling his

home run total from last season.

“Our offense came through real well tonight,” Sanders said. “We saw a

lot of pitches. We were looking for some balls up in the zone and we

jump on fastball that are up. They left a few of them up and we did some

damage tonight.”

With the lead already at 7-0 after four, starter Dexter Price (2-0) had

more than enough cushion as the true freshman went 5 1/3 innings,

allowing one run on six hits, striking out a career-high five to pick up

his second win in as many appearances.

Auburn tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth on Hargett’s two-out,

two-run single and then scored single runs in the sixth and seventh,

running through seven Davidson pitchers through the first 6 1/3 innings.

Kevin Patterson’s two-out bloop single to center in the sixth scored

Jones from second and then Sanders’ fielder’s choice in the seventh

scored McElroy after the freshman drew a walk and moved up two bases on

a pair of passed balls.

Auburn closed out the scoring in the eighth as McElroy hit his first

home run of the year, sending it to straight-away center. Brian Fletcher

reached on an error with one out and Dan Gamache drew a walk before

McElroy laced a 1-0 pitch for Auburn’s 20th home run of the season.

Davidson starter Andy Bass (0-1) took the loss, allowing Auburn to score

a single run in the first before giving way to the eight relievers that

followed him on the night. Of the nine pitchers that saw action on the

mound, eight of them allowed at least one run on the night.

Zach Blatt threw the final two innings for Auburn, striking out three,

allowing just one baserunner.

Auburn’s 20 home runs is the most by an Auburn team nine games into a

season and is nine more than the 1998 team that set the school record

with 87 homers in a year had set at the same point in the season.

Mummey, who extended his hitting streak to a personal-best nine games,

has now scored 19 runs on the season.

Auburn will now turn its attention to the Brown Bears, which come to

Plainsman Park this weekend for a four-game series beginning Friday at

6pm CT.