Tigers cruise to midweek victory

It didn’t have the drama of a big-time nonconference matchup or the pressure of a Southeastern Conference series.

Tuesday’s game against Mercer couldn’t match the intensity of last weekend’s series win against Kentucky for the Auburn baseball team. But it didn’t have to.

The Tigers just had to take care of business. And that’s exactly what they did, with a tidy 10-4 win Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.

Auburn (15-9) continued a season-long trend of winning the games it is expected to win.

The Tigers are 2-8 against top-division opponents Florida State, Florida and Kentucky. But AU has racked up a 13-1 record against the rest of its schedule: East Tennessee State, Davidson, VMI, Appalachian State, Troy and Mercer.

Mercer (9-14) wasn’t the most accomplished opponent in that group. But the Bears put up a bit of a fight Tuesday.

After AU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Mercer rallied with two runs in the second against Auburn reliever Taylor Thompson (2-2).

The good feelings didn’t last long for the Bears.

Auburn countered with five runs in the bottom of the second to retake the lead for good. With the score tied at two after a Ryan Jenkins RBI groundout, Auburn’s normally light-hitting middle infielders went to work.

Shortstop Matt Hall, following Jenkins, hit a two-run home run off Mercer starter David Harden (2-1). After a Trent Mummey single, second baseman Justin Hargett followed with a two-run shot of his own. The homers were the first of the season for both Hall and Hargett.

AU added a run in the sixth and another in the seventh, then capped the scoring with a two-run eighth when the middle infielders came through again. Hall led off with a double, moved to third on a Mummey base hit, then scored on a perfectly placed Hargett bunt. Mummey scored on a passed ball two batters later.

Auburn plays Samford today at Regions Park in Hoover.

Freshman left-hander Cory Luckie will pitch one or two innings in a warmup start. Luckie will also start Saturday’s home game against Tennessee, the second game of this weekend’s series.

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