Alabama baseball beat the No. 5 Tigers 3-1 on Sunday to secure the series sweep.
The Crimson Tide played its best baseball of the season in front of three massive crowds at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, holding the No. 5 Tigers to just four runs on the weekend. Two eighth inning runs made the difference in Sunday's 3-1 win, in a game where Auburn was held to just two hits.
"Awesome way to finish the weekend," head coach Rob Vaughn said. "Not the prettiest game of all time... but so proud of the effort, proud of the guys, and just we've just got to keep plugging." For the third day in a row, Auburn struck in the top of the first. Freshman right-hander Myles Upchurch plunked consecutive batters, and Eric Guevara brought one home with a two-out single through the right side. Upchurch would not allow another hit or run in a 4.1 inning start that was the longest of his career against a power conference opponent. "He's just a competitor. And he hasn't had his really A-plus stuff in a couple of weeks," Vaughn said. "But when it starts getting messy, can you stop it? And he did that today. Hits those two guys in the first, and he just doesn't get sped up. And that's why that guy is going to be a superstar. Everything that's happening to him through these first three games of SEC play is going to toughen him and harden him and make him better both for this year and for his sophomore year." Upchurch did allow seven free passes , but kept the Tigers off the board when they had runners in scoring position in the second and third. After a 1-2-3 fourth, he put two runners on in the fifth and was relieved by Ashton Crowther. Crowther entered the game with the score tied at one thanks to a third-inning RBI single from Justin Lebron. The South Carolina transfer allowed a leadoff single in the sixth, but that was Auburn's only baserunner over his 2.2-inning appearance. Matthew Heiberger took over in the eighth and plunked consecutive batters, giving Auburn a real opportunity with one out. But a quick reaction from first baseman Luke Vaughn ended the frame, as he caught a line drive and threw right to second to keep the game tied. Bryce Fowler walked to start the eighth and was supplanted on first by Lebron after the shortstop grounded into a fielder's choice. Lebron then continued his absurd season on the basepaths, taking second to move into scoring position. He's now 23-for-23 on stolen bases, second in the nation. Lebron then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored moments later on another errant throw to put Alabama ahead. Captain Will Plattner provided insurance with a single to center field to bring Brady Neal home and give Alabama a two-run lead that gave closer Hagan Banks breathing room in the ninth. "Platt had been all over the barrel this weekend," Vaughn said. "Very fitting for him to get that big two-out hit there to give us a little bit of insurance... You feel a heck of a lot better going into that with a two-run lead. So huge swing by our captain right there, just a cool way to finish a weekend." Banks, who has tended to put runners on in big moments, sent the Tigers packing with a 1-2-3 inning to secure the sweep. Alabama will now undoubtedly be ranked in just about every top-25 poll on Monday, and will likely be talked about, once again, as a national contender. Vaughn's team has won seven straight, with consecutive conference sweeps for the first time of his tenure.Theodore Fernandez is BamaCentral’s baseball beat reporter and a co-host of The Joe Gaither Show. He also works as a weekend sports anchor at WVUA 23 News in Tuscaloosa and serves as one of the station’s lead high school sports reporters. Fernandez is a news media student at The University of Alabama and is pursuing a master’s degree in sports management.
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