The Auburn Tigers (9-1-1) started a 5-game week with the UAB Blazers (4-8). The Tigers picked up a defensive 4-1 win over the Blazers thanks to a Flag planting performance from Tommy Vail as SEC play approaches.
The Tigers’ win over the Blazers starts with Auburn’s Tommy Vail who turned in 5.2 innings in his second start, letting up no hits, and getting eight strikeouts, and the win in the process. Vail continues his streak as a starter as not allowing a run in the total 9.2 innings of work across the two starts.
"I'm just happy to be able to go that long and help the team win tonight," Vail said. "My goal is to win every pitch and go after each batter one at a time. As the innings went on, I was just trying to get the guy in front of me and go on from there."
Helping him clean up the game was Chase Allsup, who gave up a run, and three hits but did pick up his second save and three strikeouts.
Bryson Ware saw beach balls at the plate, as he gave the Tigers the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run shot that hit the scoreboard. The seventh Ware has hit in the last nine games, making it 2-0 after four.
"I knew the scouting report on the guy was he was going to throw a lot of offspeed pitches. I just saw an offspeed pitch pop, and I got enough of it to get it out," Ware said.
Ware continued his day at the plate with a triple that was just a pinky away from hitting the batter’s eye, being a scored in on a Bobby Peirce sac-fly to center to make it 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth.
Ware finished the day 3-3 with a single, triple and a homerun, a double away from the cycle. The last time the cycle was hit for was in 2020 by Judd Ward.
Helping the pitching on the defensive side of the ball was Cole Foster, who provided a couple of highlight level plays at shortstop, he also contributed a double that scored one, in the fifth.
"(Tommy) really laid good tracks. (Chase) Allsup did enough for us there to only pitch two guys tonight," said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. "The other thing for me tonight, if you just love baseball, the two shortstops were fabulous."
Auburn continues there tough week as they play at Jacksonville State at 6:00pm before going back to Plainsman Park this weekend to play Southeastern Louisiana.
