Auburn Tigers baseball kicked off the 2026 season with a 2-1 victory over Youngstown State, thanks to an outstanding pitching performance by Jake Marciano, who struck out 12 batters in five innings. Shortstop Eric Guevara contributed two hits and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning after Chase Fralick’s single. Youngstown’s only run came from Brady Shannon’s solo home run in the fourth. Auburn’s Drew Whalen and Garrett Brewer solidified the win with strong relief pitching, setting the stage for game two on Saturday night.
