The No. 6 Auburn Tigers bolstered their case for a national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament with a commanding 10-2 midweek victory over UAB at Regions Field in Birmingham on Tuesday.
After a slow start, Auburn (33-14) methodically built its lead, scoring just two runs through the first four innings before breaking the game wide open in the fifth. The inning began with a single from Lucas Steele and a walk to Mason McCraine, setting the stage for Eric Guevara to extend the lead to 3-0. A bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch added to the damage, but the big blow came off the bat of Bub Terrell, whose two-RBI single pushed the advantage to 7-0.
Guevara delivered again in the eighth inning, crushing a two-run home run to make it 9-0. Brandon McCraine capped the scoring with a two-out single to bring home Chris Rembert. UAB (28-20) attempted a late rally, with Patrick McGlon and Brady Waugh recording RBI hits in the bottom of the inning, but the deficit proved insurmountable.
Bub Terrell and Brandon McCraine led Auburn's offensive charge with three hits apiece, while Terrell tied Guevara with three RBIs. On the mound, Griffin Graves was dominant, tossing four shutout innings while allowing just three hits and a walk with one strikeout. The bullpen combination of Abe Chancellor, Marcel Kulik, Jett Johnston, and Garrett Brewer combined to strike out eight batters, walk four, and surrender just two runs on four hits.
The victory adds another valuable "Quad 1" win to Auburn's resume, as UAB entered the game ranked No. 46 in the NET. This strengthens the Tigers' argument for a national seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Auburn will have an opportunity to further solidify its case this weekend with a crucial road series against No. 11 Mississippi State, which sits at No. 9 in the latest NET rankings. Game one is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. CT at Dudy Noble Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.