Marshall University Athletics
Errors Cost Herd In 11-5 Loss At Auburn
2/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Errors Cost Herd In 11-5 Loss At Auburn
2/15/2002
- Game Box Score
AUBURN, AL ? The combination of four Marshall errors and three balks was more than the Thundering Herd could overcome Friday afternoon in an 11-5 loss to homestanding Auburn at Plainsman Park in front of 2,695 fans.
Marshall falls to 0-3 on the young season with the loss while Auburn improved to 4-1. The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 3 p.m. and will wrap-up the three-game series on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
?We can?t play a team like Auburn and make four errors and still expect to win,? Herd coach Dave Piepenbrink said. ?We have just got to find a way to stop making these mistakes.?
Marshall came out swinging early in the game, scoring single runs in each of the first three innings off Tigers junior right-hander Levale Speigner (2-0).
Herd senior David Colangelo accounted for two of the runs. He walked to lead off the game, stole second and scored on a Bryce Woods single. Colangelo then singled to lead off the third inning, went to third on an Adam Fairman single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Homer Renshaw.
Redshirt freshman catcher Gregg Hiller accounted for the Herd?s second inning run with a solo home run to straightaway center field.
Marshall sophomore starter Grant Harper (0-2) held his own against the Tigers through the first two innings, allowing just one run on an RBI single by Josh Todd in the second inning.
Harper got into some trouble in the third and his defense let him down. Auburn?s Tug Hulett drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a two-out single by Matt Grooms. Auburn designated hitter Bobby Huddleston followed with a sharp single to center, which Woods fielded cleanly and threw to home. The ball beat Hulett to the plate by three steps, but Hiller was unable to hold on to the ball, allowing the run to score.
Auburn?s Mike Mueller followed with a three-run homer, give Auburn a 5-3 lead on four unearned runs.
Auburn then scored a single run in the fourth, two in the fifth on a two-run homer by Todd, two more in the sixth and one in the eighth.
Harper worked 4.1 innings for Marshall, allowing just three earned runs on nine hits. Sophomore Chris Meadows worked the final 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits.
Speigner went six innings for Auburn, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out four. Sophomore Eric Brandon worked the final three innings, allowing one run on two hits, to earn his first save of the season.
Marshall?s other two runs came on solo home runs by Matt White, his first, in the sixth inning and Fairman, his first, in the eighth.
The Herd will send junior Rick Suter (0-1) to the mound on Saturday.
Herd fans can keep track of the weekend series through Auburn?s web site at http://www.auburn.edu/athletics/ and can listen to the Auburn broadcasts of the games at http://www.aunetwork.com.
