TAKEAWAYS: Auburn baseball sweeps Lispcomb with yet another comeback victory
Auburn baseball made a dramatic late comeback over Lipscomb, this one thanks to yet another 8th inning home run from Bryson Ware to win Sunday's game three, 4-3, and take their first series sweep of the season.
Here's what you need to know from the contest:
Bryson Ware is real
Long considered to be a fastball-only hitter, Ware took a hanging changeup over the left field wall with two outs in the ninth to turn a 3-1 deficit into Auburn's first (and final) lead of the game.
The former junior college shortstop, after extra work in the hitting cages over the winter, has become an absolute force in the middle of the Auburn lineup. On the 2023 season, he's 20-39 with 6 HRs, 12 extra-base hits, 17 RBIs, 12 runs, and five walks to only six strikeouts.
Talking with the Auburn Sports Network's Brad Law after the game about the first-pitch homerun, Ware explained his process of watching the pitcher as he waited for his turn at the plate, "They brought in a reliever - I think it was their closer that's been pretty effective - but I knew he threw a lot of changeups in the at-bats leading up to mine and so I had it in the back of my mind that he might throw me a changeup, start me off with one. He left it up, and right over the plate, and I got just enough of it to get it over."
"Coach (Gabe) Gross always says 'in the big moments, try and do the little things' and so I tried to stay short, not swing too much, let the ball find my barrel, and got just enough barrel on it to get it out of here."
"I'm just trying to compete my butt off and my teammates are working behind me."
John Armstrong keeps collecting wins
In MLB, many coaches subscribe to the (somewhat antiquated) idea of saving your closer for the final inning of games, and usually only if you have a lead. College coaches are more understanding of leverage, and typically have a reliever that is their "fireman" - called on to "put out the fire" whenever the opponent has the opportunity to put up multiple runs quickly.
That reliever for head coach Butch Thompson is righthander John Armstrong.
The sophomore sidearmer already has six appearances on the season, and collected his fourth win of the year on Sunday after putting out yet another fire in the sixth inning. As has happened all too often this season, the offense come back out and immediately scored runs to give him a lead, making this the second weekend where he picked up multiple wins.
Speaking to Law, "I threw a lot of pitches (on Friday), so it was difference coming back after throwing that many pitches, but I wanted to come back so bad. [...] Finishing the end of a game is something special that I've wanted to do for a while, and that felt special."
Armstrong attributed his success today to better location, "I was a little more precise today, living on the edges, and it worked out."
On the season, Armstrong has pitched twelve innings with four hits, four runs, and four walks to twelve strikeouts. His four wins puts him towards the top of the leaderboard in all of college baseball.
Good growth from the young pitchers
Auburn gave the start to true freshman Zach Crotchfelt, who has excelled in relief the last two Sundays, and he delivered. Crotchfelt went four innings with three hits, two runs, and gave up three walks to four strikeouts. Facing eighteen batters, he threw 76 pitches and left with a two-run deficit, which is all you can ask from a true freshman making his first career start.
Fellow freshman Hayden Murphy, serving as Crotchfelt's "piggyback", gave 1.2 innings of his own, with three hits and only one run.
"I think we needed one of those where young pitchers could keep us in the ballgame," said Thompson after the game. "Man, getting us almost to the 6th with two true freshmen? They're getting better." One of the big factors to Thompson was not allowing a big inning to the home-run hitting Lipscomb, "They had an opportunity to put up three or four, and I don't know if we get the comeback if that happens."
Lipscomb has a DUDE in Braydon Tucker
Auburn's early offensive woes were due to the talent of Lispcomb righty Braydon Tucker. The big transfer from Indiana made Auburn hitters uncomfortable all day, cruising through seven innings of three hit, one run baseball. Looking a bit "gettable" as he approached 100 pitches, he refused a mound visit from his pitching coach in the 7th inning and then proceeded to strike out the side, finishing the outing on his 106th pitch, a swinging strike to Caden Green.
Said Thompson, "106 pitches from their starter - whew, he kept us off base a lot. [...] Offense was much tougher to create today."
The offense just doesn't quit
Despite the struggles against Tucker, Auburn's starters continued to stay in the fight - "I know you're tired of hearing that, but it's what we're preaching" joked Thompson after the game.
As soon as Tucker was replaced to open the 8th, Tigers hitters took exactly two hitters to adjust to the new pitcher and begin to pick up more hits. Auburn strung together four hits in the 8th inning, scoring the three runs to take the lead.
Auburn finished with four runs on six hits, with seven strikeouts. Justin Kirby went 2-4 with a double and a triple, while Bryson Ware went 1-4 and three of Auburn's four total RBIs in the contest came on the homerun to left, his third of the weekend.
What's next?
Auburn is back in action on Tuesday at home vs UAB. First pitch is at 6PM, and the contest will be televised on SEC Network+. The radio call, with Brad Law and "Voice of the Tigers" Andy Burcham, will be available locally on 95.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com.