No. 5 Auburn secured the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series championship with a 10-6 victory over No. 15 Louisville at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday afternoon.
This win extends Auburn’s winning streak in Arlington to eight games since their first appearance in 2022 and marks their fourth triumph over a top-15 opponent at the tournament.
“Now, after the last two games, I feel like, at least offensively, we had a chance to score about every inning. That’s what we want to feel like even if we don’t (score),” head coach Butch Thompson said. “We really just had one run, one run and didn’t have a lot of big innings. We had the one big one today, the five-spot was huge.”
Auburn recorded double-digit hits in each of its three games during the weekend for a total of 35 hits and managed to score in six innings during each of its last two contests.
Bristol Carter led Auburn’s offense by going 6-for-11 with a .643 on-base percentage across the series and contributed two hits and runs in Sunday’s game. Five of Auburn’s first six hitters posted multiple hits in the final matchup.
“Bristol Carter was a catalyst for us this weekend,” Thompson added. “I think he might be the one who gets the most credit for getting us going. Brandon McCraine filled in great for Chris Rembert. He stuck out to me, and (Ethin) Bingaman getting his first two home runs were two big swings today for us.”
Freshman Ethin Bingaman hit his first two career home runs on Sunday and scored all three times he reached base during his breakout performance. His home runs traveled a combined distance of 800 feet with exit velocities of 107 and 110 miles per hour.
“My plan today was just heater. Be ready for it, and if they throw it swing at it,” Bingaman said. “It ‘s great. It gives you a lot of confidence when you see the guy in front of you get on base, and you feel more confident that you can hit that guy.”
Chase Fralick made his debut start at first base and went 2-for-4 with a home run, walk, two runs scored, and two RBI while extending his hitting streak to seven games.
“Everyone finally relaxed and bought into the training that we’ve done,” Fralick said of what was working offensively this weekend. “Today, I think we got the leadoff guy on in five innings. That’s the goal we set when we compete. Usually when the leadoff guy gets on we have success scoring some runs.”
Caiden Combs drove in Auburn’s opening run with an RBI single up the middle—his first career hit—in the second inning.
Auburn built its lead by adding single runs in both the third and fourth innings before Louisville responded with a two-run homer from Tague Davis in their half of the fourth inning.
Fralick answered back for Auburn with an opposite-field solo home run in the fifth inning to push their advantage to 4-2.
Louisville narrowed Auburn’s lead again before Christian Chatterton entered as relief pitcher following starter Alex Petrovic’s five-inning outing that earned him his second consecutive win.
Auburn then produced five runs off four hits during a pivotal seventh inning highlighted by Bub Terrell’s two-RBI single through left field followed by Bingaman’s second homer—a deep shot into left field’s second deck.
After holding Louisville scoreless through seven innings thanks to Chatterton’s pitching efforts, Fralick added another RBI single for Auburn’s tenth run late in Sunday’s contest.
LJ Cormier made his third appearance this season out of Auburn’s bullpen striking out six batters across nearly two innings despite allowing an unearned run due to an errant throw after a strikeout pitch landed in dirt; Garrett Brewer closed out Louisville with three pitches for a final strikeout.
Auburn now holds a season record of 6-1 as they prepare for four upcoming home games starting Wednesday against West Georgia at Plainsman Park.
