MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State hits the road to take on No. 19 Auburn for the second time at Plainsman Park this season with first pitch scheduled for 6 pm on the SEC Network+ at 6 pm on Tuesday.

Alabama State (20-14) and Auburn (24-12) met earlier this season with the Tigers coming away with a 13-7 victory. The Hornets enter the midweek contest after having the second game of their series at Mississippi Valley State suspended in the top of the seventh inning winning 11-4 and having the third game of the series postponed due to rain.

Follow The Hornets
Fans can follow this week's games via the below outlets
Twitter: @BamaStateBB
Watch Live: SEC Network+
Live Stats: AuburnTigers.com

Leading Off

• Alabama State and Auburn met earlier this season with the Tigers coming away with a 13-7 victory at Plainsman Park back on March 1.
• Auburn leads the series 9-1 dating back to February 28, 2012, with the lone win by Alabama State coming on February 19, 2014 – a 9-3 victory in Auburn.

Last Time Out (Auburn def. Alabama State, 13-7)

• Adiel Melendez (Miami, Fla.) got his second mid-week start of the year after throwing a gem last week against Samford at home, however, Melendez (0-1) struggled in the second inning giving up five runs on seven hits with a pair of untimely errors by the Hornets. The sophomore went 2.0 innings and allowed seven runs (three earned) off five hits with three strikeouts.
• The Hornets climbed back into the contest with a four-run sixth inning, trimming the lead to 9-6 before Auburn answered with three of their own to push the lead six. Alabama State (3-6) had their chances throughout the game, loading the bases in the first before a pair of runners were thrown out at the plate and then again loading the bases in the fifth getting one across. They would load them in the sixth and had runners in scoring position in five of the first six innings.
• Alabama State had five players pick up multiple hits on the night led by Chris Lewis (Alabaster, Ala.) who finished the day 3-for-5 with a run scored and a run driven in. Four other players each picked up two hits in the loss including Corey King (Lithonia, Ga.), Angel Jimenez (Santo Domingo, DR), Cristopher DeGuzman (Fajardo, PR), and Dilan Espinal (Canovanas, PR) as Alabama State pounded out 13 hits.

About the Hornets

• Alabama State currently sits atop the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East Division with an 11-2 conference record despite only playing one game this weekend on the road at Mississippi Valley State.
• Hunter May (Slidell, La.) leads Alabama State at the plate where he is hitting .348 with an OPS of 1.099. He has recorded 16 doubles (10th in the nation), one triple, and 30 RBI. Meanwhile, Corey King (Lithonia, Ga.) is hitting .321 with a team-high six home runs and 34 RBI.
• Cristopher DeGuzman (Fajardo, PR) is hitting .321 with six doubles and two home runs on the season.
• On the mound, Breon Pooler (Huntsville, Ala.) is 6-0 on the season with a 2.25 ERA for the Hornets, while Payton Harris (Hattiesburg, Miss.) is 3-2 with three saves and a 2.29 ERA.

About the Tigers

• Auburn is 7-1 in midweek games and has outscored opponents 71-34 this season and are 83-26 (.761) against non-conference opponents in the regular season since the start of the 2018 season.
• Sonny DiChiara leads Auburn in hitting at .419 with 13 doubles and 11 home runs, while Blake Rambusch is hitting .373 and Kason Howell .329 this season.

Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University baseball, follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateBB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook), @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.