Austin Peay Game 3 Highlights/Butch Presser

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Edited March 11 by aubiefifty

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Recap: Auburn baseball explodes for 20-run win against Austin Peay

Brian Hauch

~2 minutes

After suffering a blowout loss in Saturday’s game two of a three-game home series, Auburn returned the favor to A-Sun opponent Austin Peay by handing the Generals a 24-5 7-inning mercy rule loss.

Unfortunately, the loss on the diamond wasn’t even the worst of the day for Austin Peay, as the school failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament on the hardwood by losing to Stetson in the A-Sun Championship.

As for the baseball game, Auburn scored multiple runs in every inning. An 8-run third highlighted the rout. Auburn scored 7-more in the fifth to put the game completely out of reach.

Infielders Deric Fabian, Cooper Weiss, and Cooper McMurray all contributed 4 RBIs in the lopsided victory, while Gavin Miller led the way with 5 runs batted in. Every Tiger that stayed in the game for at least two at-bats touched home plate.

On the pitching side, Auburn coach Butch Thompson opted to go with a bullpen game instead of starting Joseph Gonzalez after his recent struggles. The move worked, as   Christian Herberholz, Cam Tilly, Drew Nelson, Ben Schoor, Konner Copeland, combined for 7 innings of 5 run ball.

Auburn may have struggled on Saturday, but it will be happy with another series win heading into a Tuesday road test against in-state rival Troy.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

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si.com

Takeaways: No. 13 Auburn beats Austin Peay 24-5 in series finale

Daniel Locke

2–3 minutes

The No. 13 Auburn Tigers picked up a 24-3 win over the Austin Peay Governors this afternoon to close out its final non-conference series.

The Governors took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, bat an eight-run side in the bottom of the third put this game firmly under the Tigers' control.

What are the biggest takeaways from the game?

Christian Herberholz may not be a mainstay in Auburn's rotation

The senior right-handed pitcher got the start for the Tigers in the rubber match. It was not the worst outing, but there is room for improvement.

In 2.2 innings of work, Herberholz allowed two runs off of two hits, walked two batters and struck two out and hit one batter with a pitch.

Herberholz does not appear ready to be a permanent part of Auburn's rotation.

Cooper McMurray had a big afternoon at the plate

Auburn's first baseman showed just how dominant he can be.

McMurray went 4-4, scored three runs, had four RBI and one home run.

McMurray has been consistent for the Tigers so far this season but showed just how impactful he can be at the plate.

Auburn showed its ability to bounce back after an off-game

Austin Peay picked up a 15-6 win over Auburn in the second game of the series. The Tigers responded in the best way possible: a convincing win in game three.

Auburn scored early and often and took care of business in the series finale. 

If the Tigers can respond to losses like that consistently throughout the season, they will put themselves in a position to be successful in 2024.

Auburn is now 12-3 on the season.

What's Next?

The Tigers take on the Troy Trojans in Huntsville on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. The game can be found on YouTube and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.

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247sports.com

Sunday Funday Auburn blasts Austin Peay to take the series

Jason Caldwell

5–6 minutes

AUBURN, Alabama—Following what coach Butch Thompson described as the worst game of his career at Auburn, the 13th-ranked Tigers came back with a dominating performance on Sunday as Cooper McMurray, Deric Fabian, Gavin Miller and Cade Belyue all homered in a 24-5 blowout win over Austin Peay to take the series from the Governors. McMurray added three doubles and drove in four to continue his hot streak while shortstop Cooper Weiss added three hits and four RBI in the victory. It was the largest margin of victory for Auburn since defeating Alabama A&M 33-0 in February of 2021.

Just as impressive was the job that Auburn did on the mound against a powerful Austin Peay offense. Starter Christian Herberholz allowed two runs in two and two/thirds innings, but reliever Cam Tilly allowed just one run on one hit in two and one/thirds innings to pick up the win. Drew Nelson, Ben Schorr and Konner Copeland finished off the day for the Tigers as they won going away.

But it all started with a mindset, something both McMurray and Weiss said was a focus coming into Sunday's game after what happened in game two.

"It’s all about setting the tone," Weiss said. "In our pregame meeting I brought everyone together and said ‘whatever the cost, a win means everything and it changes everything.’ Setting the tone, whether it means working a 10-pitch at-bat or hitting four doubles and smoking a ball. That’s the name of the game, especially after a day like yesterday."

McMurray agreed, saying it was all about how you respond.

"I think everyone knows that yesterday didn’t go as planned at all for us," the first baseman said. "We were able to flush it and come back today with a fresh, new mindset. Luckily we were seeing the ball well and our pitching staff put the ball in the zone. It was a good win for our team.

"There’s not much to be said about yesterday. I think it all about coming in today with a new mindset and putting our character on our backs and showing we’re going to fight you every pitch. I think we were able to do that today."

Just like they did all series, the Governors wasted no time getting things going at the plate with Lyle Miller-Green mashing a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to put the visitors up early. Auburn would answer right back to start a huge day at the plate. Fittingly, it was McMurray that got things rolling.

With Fabian and Ike Irish on base via a walk and a hit-by-pitch, McMurray drilled a 3-2 pitch to the gap in right field for a two-run double to tie the game. One inning later, Auburn took advantage of more free bases as Mason Maners and Chris Stanfield were hit by pitches. Following a balk, a Weiss ground ball scored Maners to put Auburn in front 3-2. Getting ahead 3-1 in the count, Fabian got a pitch to drive and blasted it over the left field wall for a two-run shot. It was his fifth home run of the season and gave Auburn a 5-2 lead.

With Tilly coming in to replace Herberholz to finish off the third inning, it allowed the Tigers to break the game open with a huge bottom half of the inning. McMurray got it started with a double to get the Auburn offense going. Following a pitching change, catcher Carter Wright was hit by a pitch to put the pressure on. A walk loaded the bases for Maners and his sacrifice fly got the scoring started.

Following another walk to load the bases, back-to-back doubles from Weiss and Fabian scored two runs each to keep things rolling. After a Gavin Miller RBI single added the sixth run of the inning for the Tigers, McMurray stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning and blasted a ball over the batter’s eye in center field. That made it 13-2 and the rout was on.

In the fourth, a single from Irish plated two more to push the lead to 15-2 for the Tigers. One inning later they would put it out of reach in a big way.

Leading off the inning with his third double of the game, McMurray scored on a sacrifice fly two batters later to push the Auburn lead to 14, but the Tigers were far from done. Two more walks set the table for Weiss’ third hit of the day as his single scored Maners. A walk to Irish would load the bases to bring Miller to the plate. Getting ahead 2-0 in the count, Miller jumped on a pitch over the heart of the plate and didn’t miss it. The blast over the left field wall for a grand slam was the first career home run for the second-year player and made it 22-2 Tigers.

Following a single run by Austin Peay in the sixth, Auburn added to its lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-run home run by true freshman Cade Belyeu. It was the first of his career and gave the Tigers a three-touchdown lead.

Austin Peay would add a pair of runs off Copeland in the top of the seventh, but it was far too little and too late as Auburn won easily to head into the first week of conference play with some momentum.

Up next for Auburn is a trip to Huntsville on Tuesday to face Troy. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Toyota Field. The Tigers open SEC play at Vanderbilt beginning Friday night.