Julien still hot for Auburn with two more RBIs
2B Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.) had a base hit, two RBIs and two walks as the Auburn Tigers beat the Alabama--Birmingham Blazers.
Apr. 17, 2018
Auburn Completes Season Sweep vs. UAB
By George Nunnelley
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn jumped out to an early lead behind a three-run first inning and never looked back as the Tigers defeated UAB, 12-2, Tuesday night at the annual Bark in the Park game at Plainsman Park.
Sophomore southpaw Elliott Anderson (5-0, 3.37) earned the win after throwing a career-high 4.0 innings and striking out a career-high seven batters. Anderson entered the game with a 3-2 lead to start the fifth inning and held the Blazers in check as he faced the minimum with just one walk in his 16th relief appearance of the season.
“Elliott Anderson was tremendous,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “I think it was his best night in a Tiger uniform. We challenged him in between innings and he started getting pitches over. The last five innings of this ballgame, we didn’t surrender a hit. That’s three out of the last four, and we’re heading to our rival this weekend. It was a good night. We did enough and got some guys in the ballgame.”
The 12-run output was Auburn’s (26-12, 6-9 SEC) 10th game this season with double-digit runs, including its second in as many contests against UAB (16-19, 8-7 C-USA). The Tigers improved to 11-0 when scoring in the first inning and 19-0 when scoring five or more runs.
Auburn wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as the first four batters reached on free passes – two walks and two hit-by-pitches – to make it 1-0. Later in the inning, Conor Davis stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases still loaded and drove in a pair with a RBI single to left field.
UAB got a run back in its next at-bat on a RBI single through the right side from Stephen Dobbs and made it a one-run ballgame after a RBI single from Brett Blackwood in the following frame.
However, the Auburn offense came to life and scored a combined nine runs in the sixth through eighth innings to cruise to the 10-run win.
Jay Estes increased the Tigers’ one-run lead to three with a two-RBI double down the left-field line in the bottom of the sixth and later came in to score from third on a passed ball.
An inning later, Davis stepped to the plate and ripped a single the other way to score Edouard Julien and collect his third hit and third RBI of the game.
Auburn’s largest output of the night came in its last at-bat when Brett Wright got a five-run eighth inning started with a bases-clearing double to nearly the same spot down the left-field line as Estes earlier in the game. Julien came back around to single home Wright before scoring on a sac fly to right field from Dylan Ingram to conclude the scoring.
Davis and Estes accounted for five of Auburn’s hits and drove in a combined five runs. Davis’ three-hit performance matched a career high. He reached base five times in the game. Wright equaled Davis’ game-high three RBI while Julien also drove in a pair.