After nearly four hours of delays in Jacksonville the Auburn Tigers (5-0) finally got underway against the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2). The game was worth the wait as the tight affair featured all the hallmarks of a classic game. The Tigers rallied in the last third to take down the Hawkeyes 7-5.
Iowa started the scoring early with two runs, one in each of the first two innings, but Auburn got one back from an Ike Irish single to center field as the Iowa lead got cut in half in the third. The Hawkeyes answered quickly with their own single to center making the score 3-1 after four and a half innings of play. Auburn would go on to score in the sixth, seventh, and eighth including two home runs in the seventh and one in the eighth courtesy of Pierce, Hall, and Manners.
Christian Hall led the Tigers with two hits in his four at-bats. Hall filled his stat line with a home run, a run scored, and two RBIs. Hall’s home run was solo and came in the bottom of the eighth for the Tigers.
The seventh inning is where the Tigers flipped the script on the Hawkeyes. Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh the Hawkeyes brought in Jack Whitlock who would only last two-thirds of the seventh as he walked one and gave up three runs all earned on four hits, the Tigers captured the lead and would build on it as the game progressed.
Brody Brecht was to thank for the Hawkeyes' early lead in this one as the Iowa ace played to his potential against Auburn. In his six innings of work, despite the long delays, he struck out 11 a far-and-away game-high. He gave up two runs, one earned on two hits and four walks. He threw 99 pitches, 60 of which were strikes in his 1.74 ERA showing.
Despite the high score this with 12 total runs crossing the plate, both teams left production on the basepaths. Iowa stranded seven compared to Auburn’s six stranded. Ultimately it was Auburn’s ability to keep the line moving with two outs that gave them this one, they were 5-12 with two outs while Iowa lacked the ability to spark a rally going 2-11 with two outs. Auburn scored three of their seven runs with two outs.
AUburn’s Chase Allsup was on the bump to start and in his three and third he gave up five hits and struck out five as he gave up three runs all earned as it was a pitch-by-committee approach from the Tigers.
Auburn will be back in action Saturday afternoon February 24th as they take on Wichita State in Jacksonville at 11 am streaming on D1baseball.com in conjunction with the Auburn Sports Network.
