Doubledays Enter First Place with 8-2 Win

Lowell, MA - For the second night in a row, the Auburn Doubledays put eight runs on the board and got great starting pitching en route to an 8-2 defeat of the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts on Monday night.

With the win, the Doubledays moved into a tie for first place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division with Jamestown and Mahoning Valley, who both lost earlier in the evening.

In a ballgame that was delayed nearly two hours due to rain, Auburn showed no sluggish effects, jumping on the Spinners for runs early in the contest. Justin Miller got the scoring started by lining a double to center to start the second inning. He scored two batters later on an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Angelberth Montilla.

Lowell answered in the bottom of the second when Seth Schwindenhammer jumped on a pitch from Nathan Karns, driving it over the fence in rightfield, tying the game at one run apiece.

The Doubledays took the lead again in the third when they drew back-to-back walks with two outs and nobody on. Slugger Matt Skole came up and drove a single through the right side, putting Auburn on top 2-1.

In the fourth, the Doubledays added to their lead. A leadoff double by Caleb Ramsey turned into a run when Billy Burns singled him in later in the inning. In the fifth inning, Matt Skole scored from third on a ground ball off Ramsey's bat that was mishandled by Spinners second baseman JT Garcia, giving the Doubledays a 4-1 lead.

Things broke open in the sixth when Hendry Jimenez, who entered second in the league in RBIs, tripled to right-center, plating two and increasing Auburn's lead to six. Jimenez scored later in the inning on a wild pitch, making it 7-1 Auburn.

Lowell got their second run of the night in the seventh inning, using three consecutive singles to drive in a run against Auburn reliever Greg Holt, the first earned run he'd allowed all year long.

Holt pitched a perfect eighth and Travis Henke pitched a perfect night for the Doubledays, preserving an 8-2 win.

Nathan Karns got the win for the Doubledays, his first of the year. He worked five innings, giving up just one run on three hits. Karns start marks the fourth straight start where an Auburn starter has pitched 5+ innings.

Auburn will enjoy an off-day on Tuesday before they welcome the Hudson Valley Renegades to Falcon Park on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm on Abner Garden Gnome Giveaway night, presented by Pinnacle Investments. For tickets, please visit www.auburndoubledays.com.