Auburn baseball: Five stats that defined the Tigers' win over Stetson

USA Today

2 days ago

Auburn baseball: Five stats that defined the Tigers' win over Stetson Auburn is one win away from hosting its first-ever Super Regional at Plainsman Park.
The Auburn Tigers secured a seat at the Auburn Regional championship by defeating the Stetson Hatters on Saturday night, 8-5, at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers are now one win away from hosting a Super Regional, and are in a great position to do so with two wins on the weekend.
Stetson, who entered the winner's bracket by beating NC State, 11-2, on Friday, put up a great fight in the game by trimming Auburn's lead to as little as 4-3 in the middle innings before the Tigers sealed the deal with an Ike Irish home run in the 9th inning.
After the game, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson credited both teams' approaches for creating an incredible college baseball game.
"Just an amazing college baseball game. That's about all you need to write down. I just thought it was two great offensive approaches. Both teams had double-digit hits, and I thought the pitchers fought. I thought Samuel Dutton absolutely fought his guts out to get us later in the game and to be able to pass the baton to a guy that we trust to close games. Every time I praise us for something, I'm going to do the same thing with Stetson. They brought (Tyler) Van Dyke in there, their reliever, he is just absolutely incredible — one of the best, I think. Righties are hitting under .100 on the season, but the lefties - I thought Bub's big hit took off the left field wall, and Ike (Irish) there with a huge run in the top of the ninth. We were able to get to the finish line, but you can just tell - approaches when you're locked in, you know when a team does a good job if you don't make a pitch. There weren't a lot of strikeouts on either side. That ball was put in play. There was amazing defense on both sides, great effort. Another unbelievable crowd, a great atmosphere for the postseason. That's what it's supposed to be like, and you could absolutely feel it in the ballpark. So, I'm thankful to win that one. Both nights have been a grind, and all you can do is just come out and play hard. It's not going to be perfect. You just play as hard as you can and keep moving forward. And I think we did that again tonight for Sam (Dutton)."
Before Auburn its the field for the Auburn Regional final, re-live Saturday's key moments. Here are five stats that defined Auburn's win over Stetson on Saturday night at Plainsman Park.
Doubles were dandy
Auburn baseball matched Stetson in the hit category on Saturday, but its ability to produce multi-base hits set them apart. The Tigers logged eight doubles in the win, with Cooper McMurray pacing the team with three. Eric Snow and Bub Terrell recorded two each while Ike Irish added one of his own. Snow, Terrell, Irish, and McMurray combined to score eight of Auburn's nine runs on doubles.
Bub Terrell continues to be a run-producing machine
Freshman Bub Terrell has been a key factor in the Tigers' offensive production over the last two games. Terrell mirrored his two-hit, three-RBI output in Friday's win over Central Connecticut on Saturday against Stetson, and is now hitting .667 (4-of-6) with two doubles and six RBI in the Auburn Regional.
"It was great. I always like to fire my guys up, and I've been locked in since day one of regionals," Terrell said postgame. "I don't feel like anybody can get a ball by me, and since I'm just missing the pitches, I can just foul off, and I had two doubles. 3-2 is like an advantage count. I can either get a hit or get a walk, so I feel like I'm in a good situation."
Another "freeze" warning has hit the Plains
Bub Terrell has had a regional to remember to this point, but it would be a crime to ignore the weekend that Eric Snow is having at the plate. Snow is 5-for-8 in two games with three RBI and three multi-base hits. Snow put Auburn on the board in the 2nd inning with an RBI double, and helped Auburn create separation in the 5th inning with another RBI double to push Auburn ahead, 5-3.
Ike is still Ike
Ike Irish has been a reliable weapon for the Auburn Tigers this season, and he proved it again Saturday in the top of the 9th inning. Stetson built momentum in the late-innings by trimming Auburn's lead to 7-5 before Irish smashed his 17th home run of the season to left-center field to create a three-run cushion for his squad in the 9th inning, which put a dagger in the game.
In addition to his two-hit, two-RBI day at the plate, Irish showcased his arm in the 4th inning by throwing out a Hatter baserunner at the plate to prevent Stetson from scoring its third run of the game. Irish pieced together another MVP-caliber performance and will look to have a similar outing in Sunday's Auburn Regional final.
Auburn fans set another attendance record
Auburn baseball added many upgrades to Plainsman Park last offseason for moments like these. A record crowd of 7,434 watched Auburn beat Stetson on Saturday night, beating the previous record of 7,367 that was set Friday night in Auburn's win over Central Connecticut. Will Plainsman Park see another broken record for the third day in a row on Sunday?
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