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Things started off so well this weekend for Auburn with a 10-5 victory over Sacramento State. Unfortunately while there were some bright spots, the bats didn't do as well over the weekend overall and the bullpen allowed the Hornets to come back on Saturday and Sunday to give the visiting team the win.
Saturday's game featured Auburn getting out ahead with Justin Camp allowing two runs and six strikeouts in six innings, but letting Sacramento State score four runs in the eighth inning to take the 5-4 lead. Auburn couldn't make it up in the 8th and 9th and dropped the game 5-6.
The rubber match went much the same way. Auburn took a lead into the eighth inning, but allowed two runs to send the game to extra innings. It went all the way to 12 before the Hornets were able to get the 6-7 victory and leave Plainsman Park with the series win.
The stars of the weekend were Anfernee Grier and newcomer Niko Buentello. Buentello in particular had a hot bat, hitting two home runs and picking up 10 RBIs in the first three games. Left fielder Josh Palacios also had a good weekend, too. He had five hits, including a home run.
On the pitching side, Cole Lipscomb had a good outing with the Friday game. Freshman Casey Mize also had a good weekend in relief, throwing five innings with an ERA of 1.8. The late runs from the bullpen is a bit troubling, though.
Sacramento State isn't a pushover team. Butch Thompson mentioned they have a good chance of winning the WAC in 2016, though of course he's going to say things like that in praise of a team who just beat his team on the opening weekend. They did make it pretty deep in their conference tournament last year.