BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn's bullpen held UAB scoreless from the fourth inning on while the offense exploded for seven runs in the eighth inning en route to a 10-4 win against the Blazers Tuesday night at Regions Field.
Trailing 4-3 entering the eighth inning, Auburn exploded for seven runs on seven hits in the eighth, highlighted by a go-ahead, two-run homer from Bobby Peirce. The game marked Auburn's fifth win this season when trailing entering the sixth inning or later.
"The guys just hung in there offensively. We really stung some balls," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We scored two in the first and then were cut off, but it was hard-hit balls. They just hung in there and it finally happened with some big swings for us."
Peirce's go-ahead homer was his second in the seventh inning or later in a game this season. Cade Belyeu hit a pinch-hit double on the first pitch of the frame and Peirce followed two pitches later with his fifth homer of the season.
"He left me a curveball middle-in, and I was able to get the barrel out and put a good swing on one," Peirce said of his home run swing.
Auburn ultimately sent 11 batters to the plate with Belyeu and Peirce collecting two hits apiece in the inning.
"It's a good win, just competitive all the way around," Peirce added. "We put up a seven-spot there in the eighth inning, so that was big just to get something going. Cade Belyeu leading us off there with a pinch-hit double and then hitting another one later in the inning, that was pretty awesome."
After UAB scored four runs on five hits in the first three innings, Auburn's bullpen quartet of Parker Carlson, Alex Petrovic, Zach Crotchfelt and Hayden Murphy combined to hold the Blazers scoreless and to just one hit in the last 6.1 innings.
"Once we got to the bullpen tonight, they really showed up," Thompson added. "Zach Crotchfelt was great. That's the best I can remember Hayden Murphy looking. He just leaned on strike one and got ahead of the batters in the last two frames and carried us home."
Crotchfelt (1-0) inherited a one-out baserunner in the sixth and turned in season-high 1.2 scoreless innings, retiring five of the six batters he faced with a pair of strikeouts en route to earning his first win of the season.
"I just wanted to go out there and be able to put up some zeroes for my guys and give us a chance to comeback and win the game," Crotchfelt said. "Credit to Cade and Bobby there really getting it done. That was huge and propelled us to get the win."
Auburn (17-11) wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as Mason Maners hit the first pitch of the game for a double to right field and Cooper Weiss followed three pitches later with a RBI single down the third base line. After Weiss stole his league-best 22nd base of the season and advanced to third on a wild pitch, the Tigers added to their early advantage on a RBI single from Cooper McMurray.
UAB (12-16) matched Auburn's two runs in the bottom of the first inning with both runs coming on two-out, two-strike hits. Christian Herberholz settled down to work a 1-2-3 second inning, but UAB took a 4-2 lead with two more runs on two hits and three walks in the third.
Carlson entered in relief of Herberholz with two outs in the third and turned in 1.1 scoreless innings thanks to a line drive double play to erase a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fourth.
After Petrovic worked a clean fifth inning, Auburn cut its deficit to one on a solo homer from Christian Hall in the top of the sixth. The home run was Hall's sixth of the season, including his second in as many games.
The pitching staff continued to pass the baton as Crotchfelt and Murphy combined to retire 11 of the 12 batters they faced in the last 3.2 innings, both striking out a pair and turning in season-long outings.
Offensively, the Tigers managed just two hits in the third through seventh frames before exploding for seven runs on seven hits, including three doubles and a homer, in the eighth. Following Peirce's two-run homer, Auburn added runs on four consecutive two-out hits from Weiss, Ike Irish, McMurray and Peirce.
Four players in Weiss, McMurray, Belyeu and Peirce collected multiple hits, while Irish extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a two-RBI double in the eighth. Peirce matched a season-high with three RBI, while Weiss, Irish and McMurray drove in two runs apiece.
Auburn starts an eight-game homestand with a three-game series against No. 4 Tennessee (24-5, 5-4 SEC) Friday through Sunday at Plainsman Park.
Bullpen, big eighth inning lead Auburn over UAB
