Pitching Strong In Trio of Blue-Gray Victories

Sunday's strikeout king Hayden Gliemmo

Schoening struck out nine batters in seven scoreless innings to lead the fifth-ranked Tigers to a 7-3 win over 25th-ranked Wake Forest. Schoening, who scattered eight hits, improved his pitching record to 6-0. Todd Faulkner paced the Tigers at the plate with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI.

Bootcheck tied a school record for strikeouts in a single game with 15 in a 13-4 victory over West Virginia. While improving his record to 4-1, Bootcheck allowed five hits and three runs in eight innings. "I think this might have been a coming out party for Chris Bootcheck," said Coach Hal Baird. "He was very good, and he really dominated the second through eighth innings. He was throwing around the 92-93 miles per hour range and he was overpowering the West Virginia hitters." Bootcheck shares the record with Tim Hudson (1997), John Powell (1994) and Mark Chapman (1986). Gliemmo paced the Tigers at the plate with two hits and three RBI.

Auburn closed the three-day event on Sunday with a 6-2 victory over Northwestern as Gliemmo went the distance, striking out a career high 13 batters. Gliemmo gave up only four hits and had no walks. "Hayden had his best outing of the spring," Baird said. He also drove home a run with a single and freshman John Tyler hit his first homer. Another freshman, Gabe Gross, who had hit safely in every outing, saw his hitting streak stopped at 19 games. He did get an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

Auburn will play 3 p.m. home games on Tuesday and Wednesday vs. 16-3 Virginia Commonwealth, the final contests before opening Southeastern Conference play with a three-game home series against Arkansas that starts on Friday.