Auburn Falls At South Alabama, 5-2

[AUSportTalk 4]

Auburn had its 14-game non-conference winning streak

snapped on Tuesday night at South Alabama, mustering just six hits in a

5-2 loss.

“We didn’t compete. You don’t have to have base hits, but fighting off

pitches and giving us quality at bats and we just didn’t have many of

those today,” Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “We weren’t able to

build any innings, we weren’t able to get leadoff guys on and we hit a

lot of fly balls. The offense has to be creative and if we don’t hit the

home runs it makes it very difficult.”

Chris LaGrow (1-0) earned the win for South Alabama, working into the

fifth in a designated split start and allowing just two runs on four

hits.

David Doss staked South Alabama (15-19) to a 1-0 lead in the first when

he singled home Adam Heisler, who had hit a two-out double past a diving

Hunter Morris and down the right field line.

Doss’ two-out double to right-center made it a 2-0 South Alabama lead in

the third, scoring Zach Grichor from first, who had singled to left with

one out in the inning. Doss finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBI

while Grichor was 3-for-4 with a run and a RBI.

South Alabama scored three more times in the fourth to knock Auburn

starter Dexter Price out of the game after 3 2/3 innings. South Alabama

used a Derek O’Reilly RBI single and a Clint Reynolds sac fly to center

to chase Price, who left after allowing seven hits and two walks while

only recording one strikeout, departing with a man on second. With Scott

Shuman on the mound in relief of Price, Grichor greeted him with a

single up the middle to score O’Reilly to make it 5-0 as Price was

charged for five runs in his third-shortest outing of the season.

Auburn’s only scoring inning came in the fifth as it knocked LaGrow from

the mound after the junior lefty had allowed four hits and two walks

while also recording just one strikeout. Though neither run scored while

LaGrow was on the mound, reliever D.D. Hanks was unable to keep Auburn

off the board, entering with the bases loaded and just one out. A Trent

Mummey fielder’s choice scored Casey McElroy from third for Auburn’s

first run before a Joseph Sanders RBI single plated Chezz McCann, who

had walked earlier in the inning. The RBI was the 50th of the season for

Sanders, who needs just two more to equal his team-leading total of 52

from 2008.

Lance Baxter worked the final 2 2/3 innings to earn his first save,

surrendering a hit and two walks while striking out five.

Shuman threw the second-longest relief outing of his career, throwing

four scoreless innings to keep Auburn within striking distance. In four

innings, he allowed five base runners on four hits and a walk while

striking out three, departing with runners on first and second and two

down in the eighth in favor of Michael Hurst, who walked the first

hitter he faced to load the bases before getting O’Reilly to pop up to

end the inning.

“I thought Scott did a great job. He came in there and threw a lot of

strikes and pitched with a passion.” Pawlowski said. “His slider was

really good and I was encouraged by that. His last three outings have

been pretty impressive and we can continue to get that from him, it will

be a big boost for the pitching staff.”

Auburn fell to 23-13 on the year.

Justin Hargett’s two-out single back up the middle with two down in the

third extended his hitting streak to a personal-best 10 games, dating

back to the Sunday contest against Vanderbilt on March 29.

The two teams will play the second half of the home-and-home Wednesday

night at Plainsman Park in Auburn at 6pm. All tickets to the game are

just two dollars and tickets purchased for the originally scheduled

April 14 game between the two teams will be honored.

[Jackson-Sullivan 0]

Situational hitting is starting to become a problem.  When the wind is gusting in from the outfield you have to adjust your game and Auburn is having a very hard time with that.  This power streak is actually starting to prove detrimental at times.  We can't go out every night and hit 6 homers if we want to win.  South is down this year and we had no business losing to them.  That one really hurt a little.  Atleast we get a chance for redemption tonight.  Let's make some adjustments and go get 'em.  War Eagle!!!