# SEC Baseball: Auburn Tigers Defeats Milwaukee Panthers 8-1

**Published:** 2026-06-01 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield
**Category:** games — **Type:** game-recap
**Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-baseball-auburn-tigers-defeat-milwaukee-panthers-8-1

**Teams:** [Auburn](https://secscouts.com/auburn/)

**Players:** [LJ - P Cormier](https://secscouts.com/players/?id=13775), [Ryan - P Hetzler](https://secscouts.com/players/?id=13982), [Cade Belyeu](https://secscouts.com/players/cade-belyeu), [Ethin Bingaman](https://secscouts.com/players/ethin-bingaman), [Chase Fralick](https://secscouts.com/players/chase-fralick), [Eric Guevara](https://secscouts.com/players/eric-guevara), [Mason Mccraine](https://secscouts.com/players/mason-mccraine)


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AUBURN, Ala. (05/30/2026) — The Auburn Tigers backed a dominant pitching effort with a five-run second inning to roll past the Milwaukee Panthers 8-1 on Saturday at Plainsman Park, turning an early outburst into a comfortable wire-to-wire victory.

Auburn never trailed and never let Milwaukee back into the game, scoring in three separate innings while its arms held the Panthers to a single run on four hits across nine innings.

## How It Happened

The Tigers seized control in the bottom of the second. Cade Belyeu doubled to deep right to score Ethin Bingaman and open the scoring, and Eric Guevara followed with a sacrifice fly to center that plated Belyeu for a 2-0 lead. Chase Fralick then delivered the inning's signature blow, launching a three-run homer to right that scored T. Belza and Mason McCraine and pushed Auburn ahead 5-0.

Milwaukee answered in the third, manufacturing its lone run when Grant Ross grounded out to shortstop to bring home Joey Spence, trimming the deficit to 5-1. That would be as close as the Panthers would get.

Auburn slammed the door in the sixth. McCraine was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in Bingaman, and Belyeu came around to score on a wild pitch by Sotaro Ishida for a 7-1 cushion. Guevara capped the rally with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Belza, stretching the margin to 8-1.

## Turning Point

The second-inning surge decided this one. Auburn sent enough hitters to the plate to plate five runs before Milwaukee recorded the final out, with Fralick's three-run homer providing the knockout punch. Spotting their pitching staff a five-run lead before Milwaukee had even scored allowed the Tigers to dictate the rest of the afternoon, and the Panthers managed just one run the rest of the way.

## Star of the Game

It was a two-pronged showcase for Auburn on the mound. Starter LJ Cormier was overpowering, working 5.0 innings and allowing just one hit and no earned runs while striking out eight. Ryan Hetzler followed with 4.0 innings of relief, surrendering three hits and one run while punching out six. Together the pair limited Milwaukee to four hits and racked up 14 strikeouts on the day.

At the plate, Fralick was the difference-maker, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI, a home run and a walk. Belyeu added a productive afternoon, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Guevara drove in two runs on a pair of sacrifice flies. Bingaman scored twice and reached base via a hit and a walk, and McCraine contributed a run and an RBI.

For Milwaukee, Spence reached base and scored the team's only run, and Ross drove him in. Dylan O'Connell, Bradyn Horn and Christian Holmes each collected a hit. On the mound, Ishida absorbed the bulk of the work with 4.1 innings, striking out three, while Lucas Watson and Tristan Arnold each tossed scoreless relief, combining for three more innings of one-hit ball.

## What It Means

The win underscored Auburn's ability to pair timely power with quality pitching, a formula that produced eight runs on the strength of three multi-run frames and a staff that fanned 14. The Tigers got contributions up and down the lineup, with five different players factoring into the run production.

Milwaukee found bright spots despite the result. The Panthers' bullpen settled in after the early damage, with Watson and Arnold combining to keep Auburn off the board over the final innings, offering something to build on. The offense, however, struggled to string together hits against Cormier and Hetzler, managing just four on the afternoon.

Auburn's complete performance at Plainsman Park sends a clear message heading into the rest of the 2026 slate: when the Tigers get an early lead and elite pitching, they are a difficult team to chase down.

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*Original article: [SEC Baseball: Auburn Tigers Defeats Milwaukee Panthers 8-1](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-baseball-auburn-tigers-defeat-milwaukee-panthers-8-1) — SEC Scouts*