McElroy Delivers Game-Winning RBI In 11th As Auburn Completes Four-Game Sweep

[AUSportTalk 4]

AUBURN, Ala. – Casey McElroy’s liner into center with the bases loaded

and one down in the bottom of the 11th gave Auburn a four-game series

sweep of Brown as Auburn won, 10-9, on Sunday afternoon at Plainsman

Park. The win improved Auburn’s record to 9-4 and extended the team’s

winning streak to seven games.

Down 9-8 heading into the bottom of the 11th, Hunter Morris singled to

right to get Auburn’s rally started. With Bradley Ray pinch running for

Morris, Brian Fletcher delivered his fifth extra-base hit of the series,

tripling down the line in right to tie the game at 9-9. Brown then

issued an intentional walk to Kevin Patterson and hit pinch hitter Wes

Gilmer to load the bases. Down 0-2 in the count, McElroy worked the

count even at 2-2 before lifting a soft liner into center that Brown

center fielder Steve Daniels could not make a play on, allowing Fletcher

to score the game-winning run.

“There was a lot of tension in that last at bat. There were two strikes

and the crowd was into it. My main goal was just to make contact and

fortunately I was able to come up big for us,” McElroy said.

Auburn had to score four late-inning runs just to send the game to extra

innings after falling behind 8-4 in the sixth.

“We were down 8-4 but the one characteristic that this team has shown in

the early stages of the season is that we have the ability to come back.

We feel like we have the ability to come back and we did that again

today,” Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “It is hard to beat

anyone four times but that was a good win for us today.”

Auburn got three of the runs it needed in the seventh as Justin Hargett

and Trent Mummey led off the inning with back-to-back singles to put

runners on first and second. After a Joseph Sanders pop-up, Ben Jones

doubled in Hargett and Mummey to get the game to 8-6. Morris followed

with a single to center, scoring Jones. Auburn would load the bases

after that with a walk to Fletcher and a fielding error by Brown third

baseman Ryan Zrenda but Conor Burke was able to strikeout Tony Caldwell

and get McElroy to fly out to right to keep Brown up a run.

Still down a run heading in the eighth, Hargett again found himself at

the plate to lead off the inning and again he delivered, knocking a

double to left. A wild pitch by Brown hurler Matthew Kimball moved

Hargett to third and then a second wild pitch allowed Hargett to race

home with the tying run, making it 8-8.

Hargett finished the game 2-for-4 with a RBI, extending his hitting

streak to eight games, one shy of his personal best.

McElroy’s 11th-inning heroics made a winner out of Austin Hubbard (2-0),

who threw the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits while

striking out three. Rob Wilcox (0-1) suffered the loss for Brown.

“You have to have a guy (in the bullpen) that can stabilize things and

settle things down. Austin came in and did a great job, as did Michael

Hurst,” Pawlowski said.

After a scoreless 10th, Brown put itself in position to win in the top

of the 11th as Daniels singled, stole second and went to third on Nick

Punal’s single to right. A sacrifice fly to right by Matt Nuzzo scored

Daniels for the short-lived, 9-8 lead.

Auburn took a 1-0 lead in the second on Justin Hargett’s RBI groundout

only to have Brown answer with a run of its own in the top of the third

as Zrenda knocked in Matt Colantonio with a one-out triple to

left-center.

Brown (1-5) took a 3-1 lead in the fourth as Tyler Graham hit a two-run

home run off of Auburn starter Chris O’Neil only to have McElroy answer

with a RBI double in the bottom half of the frame to draw Auburn within

a run.

O’Neil, making his first career start in just his fourth career

appearance, worked into the fifth inning, allowing three runs on six

hits, striking out two in 4 2/3 innings.

Auburn reclaimed tBen Jones off of Brown starter Matt Boylan before Auburn’s bullpen gave

the lead back to Brown in the sixth, allowing five runs on three hits

and two walks. Scott Shuman allowed the bulk of the runs, surrendering

four runs in the frame before giving way to Rus Harper, who also allowed

a Brown run when Daniels hit a triple off of him and scored on a wild

pitch.

The seventh-inning single for Mummey extended his hitting streak to 12

games and his two runs gave him 26 on the year. Joseph Sanders was not

as fortunate, finishing the afternoon 0-for-5 with a walk, putting an

end to his 10-game hitting streak.

Jones’ fifth-inning home run was the 29th for the team in just 13 games.

Auburn returns to the diamond on Tuesday night when it heads to

Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium for the inaugural Max Capital City

Classic against rival Alabama in a non-conference bout. First pitch is

scheduled for 7pm CT but fans are encouraged to arrive by 6:30 to see

all of the pregame festivities.

[AgentOrange 36]

That's great news!!! It seemed like last year too many games were lost in the late innings or were blown leads. Maybe this is a good sign.

[Jackson-Sullivan 0]

It is hard to beat anyone four times in a row.  Great confidence booster going into the Bama game!  War Eagle!!!!!

[White Tiger 0]

That is great news!!!!!! War Eagle!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AgentOrange 36]

Definitely a huge confidence booster!