Special to the News
AU Media Relations

BIRMINGHAM — Auburn used a nine-run sixth inning to overcome a slow start and run past Samford, 18-7, on Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

Joseph Sanders hit a pair of home runs in the game, a solo shot and a grand slam, to take over the team lead in homers with 11 and finished the night driving in a career-high six RBI.

“The final score really didn’t indicate the type of game it really was,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “We were down 7-4 and we end up scoring nine runs that inning. We put some good swings on it and had some really good at bats, especially with two strikes and two outs and I thought that was the difference.”

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Auburn (16-8), while it extended Samford’s (7-15) losing streak to four.

Auburn’s nine-run top of the sixth turned a 7-4 deficit into a 13-7 lead, with all nine runs coming after two outs were made in the inning.

Tony Caldwell, who finished the night 4-for-5 with a walk, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI, started the big sixth with a one-out single and went to second on Kevin Patterson’s single. Trent Mummey then drew a two-out walk, bringing Sanders to the plate. The third baseman swung at the first pitch he saw and roped a line drive over the wall in center for Auburn’s second grand slam of the season,
putting Auburn ahead, 8-7.

“I got a little jammed on the grand slam, but the field is a little generous in left field,” Sanders said. “I didn’t think it would get out of here, I was thinking maybe it was a gap-shot but it got up and got out.”

After the Sanders slam, Ben Jones reached on a fielding error by Samford shortstop Michael Johnson, giving Auburn a chance to extend the inning and capitalize on Samford’s mistakes. After the error, Tyler Vanderheiden issued back-to-back walks to Hunter Morris and Brian
Fletcher, setting the stage for Casey McElroy’s two-run single, which extended his hitting streak to six games. Caldwell then capped the scoring with his second hit of the inning, a three-run blast to the left of the scoreboard in left-center, his fourth of the season and the 51st of
the year for Auburn.

“You can’t give teams four outs and we have done our share of that but we were fortunate to take advantage of that today,” Pawlowski said. “Tony (Caldwell) had a great night for us. He caught really well and have several big hits including the three-run home run.”

The nine-run sixth made a winner out of reliever Bradley Hendrix, who has won his last four decisions. He went a season-long-tying four innings, allowing a run on three hits with four strikeouts to move to 4-2 on the year in relief of starter Dexter Price.

Price left in the fifth after allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits in four innings, departing after Samford hit back-to-back home runs off of him in the fifth with none out to take a 7-4 lead.

Auburn returns to the field tonight when it travels to Troy. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Troy’s Riddle-Pace Field.