AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - The Tigers put on a show for their fans on Opening Day, shutting out visiting Longwood 6-0 to begin the 2018 season.
"I just thought our team played really, really steady," said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson. "Just getting the season kicked off was a positive night."
Top junior pitching prospect Casey Mize highlighted the evening for Auburn. Mize faced 20 batters allowing 3 hits and tallying 7 strikeouts.
"It was almost pedestrian for him the first three innings," Thompson said of Mize's night. "Then the last three innings I really saw him start to click."
Mize was clocked at 90 mph at the top of the 6th inning. He would call it a night after 6 innings for Auburn.
Longwood struggled against the Tiger defense, tallying only 5 hits on the night.
"Our defense was tremendous," said Thompson.
The Auburn offense started out slow but got red hot as the game went on piling on run after run. Jeremy Johnson led the Tigers offensively going 2-3 at the plate.
He would touch home twice for Auburn. Johnson would score his second run off of a Luke Javris single up the middle. That hit would also bring in Brendan Venter to give the Tigers a 5-0 lead.
"The biggest at-bat of the ball game," Thompson said of the hit. "What I thought was a very veteran senior at-bat to just backspin the ball back up the middle."
Jarvis and Brett Wright would aid in the Auburn offense, both ending the night with two RBI's.
Wright would also hit the lone home run of the game, a solo shot to center field in the bottom of the 8th inning to put the Tigers up 6-0.
"Him hitting a home run was huge," Thompson said of Wright. "I gave him a game ball."
Auburn will rematch Longwood tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Plainsman Park.
