AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn’s 18-0 victory against Tennessee Saturday at Plainsman Park would have been noteworthy for any of the following reasons:
- For the offense flexing its muscles again, getting two home runs apiece from Trent Mummey and Brian Fletcher in a 22-hit barrage.
- For starter Cole Nelson returning to early-season form, throwing a complete game shutout.
- For the team pulling into a first-place tie in the SEC West with Arkansas and Ole Miss.
But trumping it all was the fact that the Tigers (34-17, 16-10 SEC) ended their SEC tournament drought by clinching a spot in Hoover for the first time since 2003.
“That’s a big monkey off our back and a good way to do it,” junior first baseman
Hunter Morris said. “We knew it would happen. Disappointed it didn’t happen the last two years, but as a group we’ve matured together, we’ve grown together.
“We just have a big family in the locker room and we’re as excited as we can be to have this happen.”
The Tigers now set their sights on winning the division for the first time since 1995. Auburn, Ole Miss and Arkansas are tied atop the West standings with four conference games to play.
“We can enjoy this, but now we need to move to our next goal,” Auburn coach
John Pawlowski said. “And we’re certainly in a position where you want to be down the home stretch, and that’s the No. 1 focus right now: find a way to win the West.”
Auburn could have clinched an SEC tournament berth with a win or an Alabama loss. The Tigers made sure it never came to the latter option.
Mummey hit his first homer of the day off Tennessee starter
Steven Gruver (4-4) during a five-run first inning, lofting a fly ball into the first row of the right field stands.
“We talked about trying to get some momentum early,” Pawlowski said. “I didn’t know if Trent’s ball was going to get out. That gave us a lift. You could see the guys, it got some excitement going. Because last night was a tough, very frustrating game, but totally different scenario today for us.”
The Tigers continued to punish Gruver in the third, chasing him after 2 1/3 innings with seven runs already on the board.
They didn’t treat reliever
Nick Blount much better. After a walk loaded the bases, Mummey launched a grand slam into the right field stands to make it 11-0.
“I think coach is letting us swing a little bit more lately,” said Mummey, who drove in seven runs. “Part of our game plan is bunting, but when guys are seeing it so well, it’s nice that he lets us swing away.”
Fletcher followed with a solo home run that made it 12-0. He added another in the fourth that made it 16-0, the eighth multi-homer game of his career, tying a school record. It gives him 18 home runs this year, tied for the SEC lead with Morris.
Every Auburn starter had at least two hits.
But the more impressive feat might have been by Nelson. The struggling left-hander, who had been in and out of the rotation and hadn’t won since beating Georgia on March 24, needed only 93 pitches to throw a complete game shutout, Auburn’s first in SEC play since
Levale Speigner shut out Tennessee in 2002.
Nelson, who wasn’t named Saturday’s starter until after Friday’s game, surrendered three hits and allowed only six baserunners. He struck out three but mostly let his defense work behind him.
The teams play the rubber game of the series today at 2 p.m. ET. Auburn will start left-hander
Grant Dayton (6-2, 5.00 ERA) against Tennessee’s
Bryan Morgado (2-6, 7.03 ERA).
