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Luckie Shuts Down Keydets in 10-1 Auburn Win

AUBURN, Ala.? Freshman hurler Cory Luckie scattered eight hits and surrendered one unearned run on the way to his first career complete game as Auburn scored a 10-1 win over VMI on a frigid Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park. The Tigers, winners of their last five, improve to 9-4, while the Keydets fall to 4-6.

Luckie (Prattville, Ala.), who improved to 2-1 on the season with a save, needed 101 pitches to round out his third career start, giving up eight singles and not walking a batter while facing seven over the minimum.

Meanwhile, the Tiger offense pounded out eight runs over the first three innings off of Keydet starter Michael Bowman (0-2). Bowman was lifted after three innings with the Keydets trailing 8-1, giving up eight runs, six earned, on seven hits.

The Tigers took a first-inning lead for the third-straight day, as Joseph Sanders' two-out double to left-centerfield plated a pair of runners that reached on walks, before Sanders himself scored to make it 3-0 on Kevin Patterson's single to rightfield.

The second inning held more of the same for the Tigers, with three runs coming across with two outs. A single from David Cunningham plated Trent Mummey, before Mike Bianucci's double plated Cunningham. An infield pop-up saw the Keydet middle infielders run into each other as the ball fell to plate the inning's final run, as Bianucci was running from second base to plate the unearned tally.

The Keydets got on the board in the top of the third, as the eighth batter in the lineup became the first baserunner of the contest against Luckie, as freshman Graham Sullivan reached third base on a flyball deep to centerfield that was recorded as an error before coming home on Sam Roberts' groundout.

However, the Tigers answered back with a pair of runs to knock Bowman from the game in the third, as Patterson scored after a leadoff double on Matt Hall's sacrifice fly, before Ben Jones scored an unearned run after being hit by a pitch and scoring on another of VMI's four errors on the afternoon.

Freshman reliever Lefty Flora came on to start the fourth inning and pitched well over the next four innings, giving up a pair of runs on five hits while striking out five. The runs came in the fourth, when Hunter Morris scored on a base knock by Jones after reaching on a wild pitch after striking out, and in the fifth, when Mummey hit his first career home run to rightfield. He was relieved in the eighth by redshirt-sophomore Daniel Wood, who worked around a hit batsmen to retire three of the four batters he faced and keep the Tigers off the scoreboard.

The Tigers were led at the plate by Bianucci, going 3-for-5 with a double, Patterson, who went 2-for-2 with a two-bagger. For the Keydets, Tanner Biagini went 2-for-4 to extend his season-long hitting streak to ten games, while Mike Roberts went 1-for-3 to also extend his season-long streak.

The Keydets and Tigers wrap up the four-game series on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. Central. The Keydets will send to the mound junior righty Chris Henderson (2-0, 1.32 ERA), and he will be opposed by Tiger sophomore right-hander Scott Shuman (1-0, 2.80 ERA).
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Players Mentioned

Tanner Biagini

#24 Tanner Biagini

IF
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Michael Bowman

#17 Michael Bowman

RHP
6' 3"
Junior
R/R
Lefty Flora

#12 Lefty Flora

LHP
5' 9"
Freshman
L/L
Chris Henderson

#7 Chris Henderson

RHP
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Mike Roberts

#6 Mike Roberts

C
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
Sam Roberts

#4 Sam Roberts

IF/OF/P
6' 2"
Freshman
L/R
Graham Sullivan

#23 Graham Sullivan

IF
6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
Daniel Wood

#13 Daniel Wood

LHP
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
L/L

Players Mentioned

Tanner Biagini

#24 Tanner Biagini

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Michael Bowman

#17 Michael Bowman

6' 3"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Lefty Flora

#12 Lefty Flora

5' 9"
Freshman
L/L
LHP
Chris Henderson

#7 Chris Henderson

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Mike Roberts

#6 Mike Roberts

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
C
Sam Roberts

#4 Sam Roberts

6' 2"
Freshman
L/R
IF/OF/P
Graham Sullivan

#23 Graham Sullivan

6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
IF
Daniel Wood

#13 Daniel Wood

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
L/L
LHP