AUBURN, ALABAMA(EETV) - Auburn Baseball closed out the opening weekend series against Yale with 2 wins and 1 loss. Due to weather and schedule issues, the final game that was originally scheduled for Sunday became a last minute double-header.
GAME 1:
The Tigers blew out the Bulldogs 9-0 Friday night, but struggled in both games on Saturday at the plate and on the field. Auburn sophomore Joseph Gonzalez started on the mound and in the first three innings allowed 7 hits, and gave up 3 runs. Gonzalez only struck out two in the effort. Yale's Mason Laplante, Carson Swank, and Alec Atkinson made it to home plate putting the Bulldogs ahead 3-0 early on.
Yale's pitcher Mike White held the Tigers scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning and only allowed 3 hits the entire game. Later he ran into trouble after hitting three consecutive batters to load the bases in the fourth. With bases loaded, Cole Foster's RBI set momentum for the Tigers allowing DiChiara to score the first run. Kason Howell hit a single to help bring Ryan Dyal home for the second run.
Sonny Dichara tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a homerun straight to center field. The Tigers sealed the deal in the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk off homerun from Kason Howell, clinching their second series title this season. This was Auburn's first walk-off homerun since Steven Williams' that helped defeat Georgia Tech in the 2019 Atlanta Regional.
"It's good to see Kason Howell be able to come up and do that," head coach Butch Thompson said. "He's a guy that's one of our leaders."
Auburn held Yale scoreless for six innings, with help from pitchers Carson Skipper who allowed 1 hit with 4 strikeouts, Mason Barnett who allowed 1 hit with no runs and Blake Burkhalter with no hits allowed and 2 strikeouts.
The Tigers finished the second game of the series edging the Bulldogs 4-3, and 40 minutes later started the second game of the day.
GAME 2:
Auburn was taken to extra innings and fell 5-4 on Saturday in the second game of a double-header against Yale. This was the Tigers second loss of the season and ended the Tigers chance to pick up their first series sweep of the season.
Trace Bright started strong for Auburn, allowing no runs with 6 strikeouts while Yale's Colton Shaw allowed no runs as well and stuck out 4 Tigers.
"Trace Bright pitched beautifully and gave us a chance," Thompson said.
Despite Sonny DiChara's position on third base in the fourth inning following his sixth double of the season and a groundout run, the Tigers could not get a run on the board. Both teams picked up momentum in the seventh inning, with Yale's Jake Williams right field line to put the Bulldogs on top. Auburn answered back with Cole Foster's two-RBI single through the right side to put Auburn ahead.
In the eighth Yale evened the score 2-2, but then Blake Rambusch immediately came back and added a solo home run. Yale tied the score in the ninth, forcing the game into extras. Yale managed to get a run in, and although the Tigers were set up perfectly with bases loaded, a strikeout and flyball sealed their fate and Yale took the win, 5-4.
Auburn Baseball will return to Plainsman Park this Tuesday at 6 p.m CST to take on in-state foe, Alabama State.
