Auburn beats Vanderbilt to win series

AUBURN — The super-sized American flag and the 12 SEC team flags beneath it Sunday at Plainsman Park swirled every way but at the hitters’ faces.
For a team that’s been swatting the ball out of the park at an historic clip, the added assistance was like splashing gasoline on   an already-blazing bonfire for Auburn’s power hitters.
Auburn mashed five home runs Sunday on its way to an 11-10 series-clinching victory over Vanderbilt before 1,929 fans.
“When you’ve got the wind blowing in, you try to work down, try to keep it out of the air,” first baseman Hunter Morris said. “But today, you just try to put a good swing on it, and if you happen to elevate it, it’s going to help you out plenty.
With 29 games to play, Auburn has already equaled its home run total from last season with 58, a total that ranks seventh all-time. The Tigers need just 29 home runs to match the school record.
More importantly, Sunday’s win gave Auburn (18-9, 4-5 SEC) its second conference series victory in three tries, a complete 180 after last weekend’s sweep to Arkansas and Friday’s ugly series-opening loss.
“This league is about getting up off the mat,” coach John Pawlowski said. “(The players) responded. They came back and won a close ballgame yesterday and what turned out to be a close ballgame again today.”
Another interesting effort from Auburn’s bullpen, which allowed five runs over the final two innings, made the final result much closer, but yet another power surge from Auburn’s bats did enough to cover up the team’s shortcomings.
Eight of the Tigers’ 11 runs came via the longball. Trent Mummey, Brian Fletcher and Morris each tallied two-run homers while Kevin Patterson and Justin Hargett added solo shots.
The five-homer game was the ninth in Auburn history and the third time the Tigers have hit five or more in a game this season.
“We’ve got a lot of strong guys with really good swings that have obviously proven that we’re going to hit balls out of the yard, but I don’t think any of our hitters really try to do that,” said Morris, who went 3-for-5 on Sunday. “And that’s for the best.”
Catcher Tony Caldwell helped Auburn’s cause without a home run, as the sophomore slapped RBI singles in the first and eighth innings. The eighth-inning shot proved crucial, as Austin Hubbard labored through a four-run ninth inning.