How Auburn baseball tightrope-walked to 7-5 win over Oregon State in super regional Game 1
Lights-out left-handed pitching was the difference, as expected, in Game 1 of the Corvallis Super Regional between Auburn baseball and Oregon State.
It just wasn't the anticipated headliner.
The story was not Auburn's uphill battle vs. Oregon State's Cooper Hjerpe, but rather a battle of improvising coaches forced to navigate around the unexpected turns of events that derailed the starting pitching Saturday in Corvallis, Oregon.
Auburn coaches Butch Thompson and Tim Hudson pulled all the right strings in a 7-5 win, putting the Tigers (41-19) one win away from the College World Series. They can clinch a spot Sunday (9 p.m. CT, ESPN2) at Oregon State (47-17).
Threading the needle with Sheehan, Skipper
Oregon State's lineup is known for its patient, disciplined approach. The Beavers lead the nation in walks, and they cashed in against Bright. After two free passes to start the game, Garret Forrester crushed a three-run homer. Bright never escaped the first, allowing another run before Hudson went to the bullpen after 47 pitches.
The Tigers needed innings eaters. They found one in Tommy Sheehan, who had just one outing of three or more innings since March 13.
He went 3 ⅓ scoreless with two hits allowed in his first appearance of the NCAA Tournament, settling the game down.
Then Sheehan passed the baton to Carson Skipper, another lefty who shaved three more innings without allowing a hit. He struck out five.
It was an impressive enough outing to bring curiosity about Auburn's ninth-inning decision. But Thompson and Hudson trusted the recently struggling Blake Burkhalter, who led the SEC in saves. He notched another after giving up one run.
The reverberations of Bright's early exit could be felt later in the series, but for the time being, Sheehan and Skipper provided heroic efforts in long relief.
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Pitching attrition started with Oregon State
Before Bright's calamitous first inning, Oregon State seemingly faced the more dire situation on the mound. Beavers ace Cooper Hjerpe didn't make his scheduled start because of an undisclosed illness, leaving Jake Pfennings as the backup.
The Tigers took advantage of not having to face college baseball's leader in strikeouts per nine innings. They scored five runs off Pfennigs and knocked him out of the game after Brody Moore's go-ahead sacrifice fly in the third inning.
Sonny DiChiara drove an opposite field home run for a 2-0 lead in the first, and Auburn scored two more in the second.
Contributor at bottom of Auburn lineup has been key
True freshman Mike Bello has worked his way into the starting left field spot, and he's delivering in the nine-hole for Auburn this postseason. He went 5-for-12 with three runs and three RBIs in the regional.
He added a 2-for-4 night against Oregon State, including a game-tying RBI groundout in the second inning. He singled scored an insurance run in the eighth on a double play.
When Bello is swinging a good bat, Auburn's lineup turns over smoothly for big bats such as DiChiara and Bobby Peirce, who also homered Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: How bullpen saved Auburn baseball in super regional Game 1 vs Oregon State
