bullpen,Irish lead baseball in opener

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Strong bullpen effort, big debut from Irish lead Auburn over Indiana in opener

AUBURN, Alabama—With Auburn starting pitcher Chase Allsup going just two innings in the season opener against the Indiana Hoosiers on a cold day at Plainsman Park, it was the bullpen trio of Tanner Bauman, John Armstrong and Will Cannon that did the trick for Butch Thompson’s Tigers in an 8-4 win at Plainsman Park. Pitching the final seven innings and allowing just one earned run on two hits with eight strikeouts, the pitching combination was a huge key to getting the 2023 season off on a good note.

“Passing the baton, that's what we've been preaching,” Armstrong said of his three and one/thirds innings of scoreless baseball. “Passing the baton. We're just going to have to hand it off to the bullpen, and seeing that unfold tonight is really important for the guys.”

They were able to hold a lead built on the shoulders of some strong offense from a pair of newcomers for the Tigers. In his first career game, true freshman DH Ike Irish had three hits and scored a pair of runs while Kent State transfer Justin Kirby had a two-run home run and also walked three times. Seniors Kason Howell and Bryson Ware both added two hits on the day, but the offensive star was the freshman.

“I think it was just like another, you know, another day in paradise,” the Michigan native said of playing in the cold weather. “We were well-prepared. Our coaches prepared as well for this. We don't let the moment get too big, and I thought we proved that out on the field. We got punched in the mouth early and then it took a team effort. Everybody passed it down great, and we came back and responded. I thought it, for us, it just felt like we were going out there and we were doing everything that we practiced.”

John Armstrong is greeted by his teammates following his outing. (Photo: Jason Caldwell/Auburnundercover, 247Sports)

Allsup got the start for the Tigers and pitched a scoreless first before running into trouble in the second against a powerful Indiana lineup. Staked to a 1-0 lead after Irish scored on a Nate LaRue fielder’s choice in the first inning, Allsup allowed a leadoff single to Brock Tibbits before big Matthew Ellis stepped to the plate. Homering 18 times a season ago, Ellis went the other way for a two-run bomb to put the Hoosiers in front early.

In the third inning the Tigers took the lead back after loading the bases with one out. Getting the start at third base, Ware battled before rifling a pitch through the left side to drive in Kirby and tie the game at two. Following a fielder’s choice from newcomer Caden Green to score Cooper McMurray and put Auburn in front, a wild pitch scored Howell to make it 4-2 Auburn after just three innings.

The Tigers would extend the lead one inning later following the second scoreless frame from Bauman. Following a leadoff single from Irish, Kirby got a 2-1 pitch to handle and mashed it 423 feet over the green monster in left field for the first home run of the season. That gave Auburn an 8-2 lead, but Indiana wouldn’t go quietly.

Following two strong innings, Bauman allowed a leadoff bloop single on a 3-2 pitch before hitting the second batter to put runners on first and second with no outs for the Hoosiers. A ground ball to Ware at third moved both runners up before Bauman got a second ground ball, this one to Green at second, for the second out. That allowed a run to score to make it 6-3 Tigers. A Ware error then allowed a second run to score in the inning before Bauman got a fly ball to left to end the frame and keep Auburn in front by two. 

The Tigers would get those runs back in the bottom of the fifth however. Following a leadoff single by Green, Bobby Peirce hit a ground ball to third that was thrown away at second. The error moved the runners to second and third with nobody out. 

After a Cole Foster strikeout, Irish delivered again with a double down the left field line to score Green and move Peirce to third. Kirby’s third walk of the game loaded the bases for Nate LaRue and the Auburn catcher did his job with a fly ball to center to give Auburn a four-run lead once again.

That’s when Armstrong and Cannon would slam the door shut. Throwing just 48 pitches and allowing just one runner in his three and one/third innings, Armstrong gave the ball to Cannon in the ninth. After allowing a pair of two-out runners, Cannon got a strikeout to end the game and secure the win for the Tigers.

“We used some pieces tonight and we’ll get a little bit deeper in our staff, and that’s good,” Thompson said. “We’ll keep learning how deep we go and who can throw the ball well, but I thought both guys stepped up. That one extra inning by John Armstrong we were like ‘are we going to throw him back out there?’ Because he’s probably going to be out for the weekend at a pitch count he’s never been before, but I don’t want to play with the game and I don’t want to force the game. We’re trying to win. We’re an SEC baseball team and everytime we take the field we’re trying to win, understanding where guys are in pitch counts and things of that nature. “Bauman and Armstrong created some momentum tonight for us on the mound. We have to be selfless. Chase Allsup has to be selfless. There’s going to be nights where he absolutely runs through a lineup three times and gets it going and lays those tracks, but it’s nice to know somebody has your back and we can make a move and somebody can get you when it may not be your night. We’re just going to have to keep learning what we’re trying to do and sell out to it. I thought they did a nice job tonight.”

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Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday with the first pitch at 2 p.m. Joseph Gonzalez will get the start for the Tigers. The game can be streamed at SEC Network+.

 

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