Luke Greinke started off the Auburn baseball season with a strike.

It was the first of many.

The Auburn junior made his second career start a memorable one, leading AU to a 6-3 win against East Tennessee State at Plainsman Park on Friday.

“I felt good today,” he said. “I’ve been working hard a long time to get to this point.”

Greinke (1-0) allowed three hits in six innings and struck out three. It was a solid debut, especially for a player who threw all of 10 innings last season while splitting time between first base, designated hitter and all three outfield spots.

He’ll contribute in the lineup again this season, likely as the DH. But Friday, he looked the part of a starting pitcher.

“I was really happy with Luke’s start,” AU head coach Tom Slater said. “He commanded the zone, had great presence on the mound and did a nice job.”

Auburn’s bullpen came through behind Greinke. Sophomore Michael Hurst and juniors Evan Crawford and Bryan Woodall each threw an inning of relief. Crawford struck out all three batters he faced, while Woodall pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his first career save.

“I was really impressed with our bullpen,” Slater said.

Slater was less pleased with Auburn’s offense. The Tigers (1-0) scored six runs on 10 hits, including home runs by Mike Bianucci and freshman Kevin Patterson.

But AU also had 16 fly-ball outs — an unacceptable total in Slater’s eyes.

“Way too many fly balls today, and that’s just not us,” he said. “I want to see more run production when you have 10 hits on the board.”

Bianucci hit his 23rd career home run in the first inning. He belted the first pitch he saw over the fence in right center for a two-run homer.

Bianucci spent the rest of the game waiting for another opportunity. ETSU (0-1) kept his bat on his shoulder after the homer with four intentional walks.

Bianucci didn’t seem to mind.

“I was joking with Slates: I only had eight walks my whole freshman year, and today I had four,” he said with a laugh.

ETSU starter Brandon Langston (0-1) lasted five innings and gave up five runs.

The series continues today at 3 p.m. Freshman left-hander Cory Luckie will start for Auburn against ETSU right-hander Josh Means.

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