Weekend Review: Tigers Win Series in Athens

Luke Jarvis (9) went 6-for12 at the plate in Auburn's weekend series at Georgia. (Photo: Auburn Athletics/Emily Shoffit)

Auburn Baseball continued their hot streak over the weekend, taking two of three on the road over the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. With the series win, Auburn is now 20-6, 5-1 in SEC play. FRIDAY- AUBURN 2 GEORGIA 1 Fresh off of a solid mid-week win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday, the Tigers continued their tour of the peach state by spending the weekend in Athens. The opener would see a pitching duel, with an unlikely candidate earning his first win as a Tiger. After starter Keegan Thompson was pulled due to precaution prior to the fifth inning, the Tigers would use three pitchers over the next 2.2 innings before sending senior Daniel Robert to the rubber in the bottom of the seventh, down 1-0. After recording a perfect 1.1 innings, which saw the usual everyday fielder toss three strikeouts, Robert delivered the game-winning single in the eighth inning, scoring Will Holland and putting the Tigers up 2-1. Cole Lipscomb closed the ninth, giving Auburn their ninth-straight win. Luke Jarvis and Jonah Todd each had two hits in the game. Keegan Thompson pitched four complete innings, allowing three hits and striking out three. SATURDAY- GEORGIA 4 AUBURN 1 Sophomore Casey Mize had another suitable outing on Saturday, but the hot-swinging Bulldogs were too much for Auburn, downing the Tigers 4-1, ending the nine-game winning streak. Auburn struck first in the fourth inning. Josh Anthony opened the inning with a single, and would later score on a Damon Haecker single to center two at-bats later. Georgia answered in the bottom half on a sac fly from Will Campbell that scored Keegan McGovern, and a single by Aaron Schunk that scored Michael Curry. The Campbell-McGovern duo would strike again in the sixth inning. McGovern reached base for the third time in the inning, with a leadoff double to right field. With an out, Campbell grounded out to second, but it would be enough to get McGovern home. Schunk earned his second, and final, RBI of the day when he singled in the eighth inning, scoring pinch runner Logan Moody for the final run of the game. Jonah Todd had another great outing, picking up two hits including a double. Casey Mize and Gabe Klobosits combined to strike out six Bulldogs. Mize allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings, while Klobosits allowed one run in an inning of work. SUNDAY- AUBURN 4 GEORGIA 1 In a game where hits were scarce, Luke Jarvis carried the load with three en route to a 4-1 series-clinching win. Jarvis picked up two singles, and also two RBI on a fourth-inning long ball to left field that scored Jonah Todd. The Tigers went on to pick up two insurance runs in the ninth inning: one on a wild pitch, the other on an error by the third baseman. Georgia’s lone run came in the ninth on a Will Campbell sac fly. On the mound, freshman Davis Daniel had the best outing of his young career. In six innings of shutout baseball, Daniel punched out six and allowed four hits. SERIES NOTES Auburn moves to 20-6, 5-1 in SEC play. The two wins mean that Auburn is now three wins away from matching last season’s win total. Jonah Todd and Luke Jarvis were the top performers over the weekend. Todd recorded a hit in each game of the series, including two in both Friday and Saturday’s game. Jarvis went 3-for-4 on Sunday with a home run. On the weekend, the San Diego native went 6-for-12. Auburn fans also saw something out of the ordinary, Daniel Robert on the mound. The senior from Hoover tossed 1.1 innings in relief on Friday, striking out three and earning the win. To aid his own cause, he also scored the game-winning run in Auburn’s series-opening win. Coach Butch Thompson and the Auburn Tigers continue to impress the national media, as all four major polls have Auburn ranked in the top-25 (Baseball America- 18, D1Baseball- 17, NCBWA- 24, Coaches- 24), with a composite ranking of 21. Auburn will travel to Montgomery for their next game, a non-conference tilt with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Capital City Classic. First pitch is scheduled for 7 P.M. at Riverwalk Stadium.