GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Auburn jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back in its 10-1 win in the series opener at No. 2 Florida Friday night at Condron Ballpark.
The nine-run margin of victory matched Auburn's largest road win in Southeastern Conference play since defeating Alabama 20-5 on Apr. 21, 2018.
"We're not going to face a better offense. This is as good as it gets in America," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We kept making enough plays to get to the finish line and gave up only one run. We executed the plan we talked about in a much better fashion. A lot of guys contributed tonight."
After Florida scored in the bottom of the fourth, Tanner Bauman and Chase Isbell held the Gators to one hit in their last five at-bats. Bauman (2-0, 3.65) pitched 4.0 scoreless in relief and struck out four en route to the win.
Prior to Bauman entering in the fifth, Will Cannon made his first start in an Auburn uniform and held the nation's ninth-highest scoring team to one run in 4.0 innings pitched. It was the fewest runs scored and third most runs allowed by Florida in a game this season.
"It was a big road test," Bauman said. "To get the first one is big. When you put up eight runs in the first two innings, it was easier to go out and attack these guys. We did a great job of executing our plan."
Auburn (18-7-1, 3-4 SEC) wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as Ike Irish hit a two-run homer in the top of the first. Bobby Peirce singled up the middle to set the table and Irish capitalized with his third homer in the last four games.
"I thought we came out and attacked," Irish said. "We set the tone early and played Auburn baseball. We can compete with the best in the country, and that's what's expected now."
The Tigers extended their early lead to 8-0 and ran Florida ace Brandon Sproat from the game with six runs in the second inning. It marked the first game Florida lost with Sproat on the mound in his last 11 outings dating back to last season.
A pair of bases-loaded walks from Caden Green and Cole Foster started the scoring in the frame, and Irish drove in his third and fourth runs of the game with a RBI ground-rule double to right. Bryson Ware did his job with two runners in scoring position to drive in another, and Justin Kirby hit a two-out single to center to cap off the big inning.
Florida threatened to start its scoring with two runners on and a deep drive to center field from cleanup hitter Josh Rivera. However, Kason Howell tracked the ball from the crack of the bat and made a leaping catch at the top of the fence to end the inning.
After a leadoff double to start the bottom of the fourth, Florida cracked the scoreboard with a run on a two-out infield single. The home team loaded the bases with a hit batter, but Cannon buckled down and ended the inning with a strikeout looking.
Bauman entered in relief of Cannon after a leadoff single in the fifth but erased the baserunner with a double play ball to second base and retired the next batter on a groundout to short.
After Bauman worked a scoreless sixth, Auburn got its lone run surrendered back in the seventh. Bryson Ware singled up the middle to extend his reached base streak to 27 games and his hit streak to 10 games, and Howell delivered with a two-out RBI single later in the inning.
Ware put an exclamation point on the nine-run win with a solo homer that went clear out of the ballpark beyond the grass berm and concourse in left field. The home run was Ware's team-best 13th of the season, including his third straight game with a homer and his sixth long ball in the last eight games.
Isbell entered the start the ninth and allowed a pair of baserunners to reach, but Auburn ended the game with a lineout to second that resulted in a double play.
Auburn's two through five hitters in Peirce, Irish, Ware and Kirby all collected multiple hits to account for eight of the team's 11 hits in the game.
Game two between the Tigers and Gators is scheduled for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Auburn executes the plan in series-opening win at No. 2 Florida
