GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 6 Auburn lost two starters to injury and had four freshmen on the field for the final seven innings in a gutsy 5-3 road win, tying the series at No. 7 Florida Friday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
Leading 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Auburn went to reliever Ryan Hetzler with the tying run on base and one out to try to close out the win. An infield single loaded the bases, but on the next pitch Hetzler induced a ground ball to Eric Guevara at third base that resulted in a game-ending double play.
“The best way I know how to say it is we’ve been looking for maybe a tipping point. We know we have to do a lot of roadwork here in the second half,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “We need that resolve. I think our team, when things are going good, we know we’re talented, we know we’re young, we know all of these things, and we know we’re capable of being competitive in this league. But that real, real toughness when something goes wrong, and to find a way through the ballgame, that was really good resolve.”
After Jake Marciano allowed just one earned run in the first 4.0 innings, Jackson Sanders (3-1) made his second relief appearance of the season and ultimately turned in 4.1 scoreless innings en route to earning the win.
“It’s different coming out of the bullpen compared to starting, but I kind of have my routine built in and I can get close to a starting routine where I’m feeling good like I’m on the mound going into the first inning,” Sanders said. “I was trying to keep the ball low, spin it well, and make them swing over the top and ground out and get themselves out, and I think that’s what they did.”
Offensively, Mason McCraine was moved to the leadoff spot and turned in his first career multi-homer game, driving in the Tigers’ last three runs in the two-run win. The freshman left fielder hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the fourth and solo homer to extend the lead in the sixth.
“I was just trying to hit the fastball right back up the middle,” McCraine said of his approach on the home runs.
“This was such a great team win,” he added. “We have such an amazing group and seeing us come together like that is just special. It feels amazing.”
Ethin Bingaman started the scoring with a solo homer on the first pitch of the second inning, his fourth home run of the season. The freshman’s home run off Liam Peterson was the first the Florida right hander allowed in 53.0 innings dating back to last season.
After being hit by a pitch in the top of the third inning, catcher Chase Fralick had to exit the game after trying to thrown down to second base while warming up before the home half of the inning. Florida’s leadoff hitter reached on a wild pitch after striking out and advanced to second on a passed ball before scoring on a sacrifice bunt that resulted in a throwing error. With the inning extended because of the error, the Gators took the lead on a two-out single.
Auburn (26-12, 9-8 SEC) answered as Bingaman ripped a double on the second pitch of the fourth inning down the left field line and ultimately scored on a dropped popup with two outs. McCraine made Florida (28-12, 10-7 SEC) pay further with a two-run home run to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.
Blake Cyr started the bottom of the fourth with his second homer in as many games, but Marciano stranded a double by the next batter to maintain the one-run lead at the end of his outing.
Clinging to its advantage, McCraine came back around with one out in the sixth and smacked his second home run of the game to straightaway center field, leaving the bat at 109 miles per hour and traveling 412 feet. He became the first Auburn player this season to homer in consecutive at-bats and teamed up with Bingaman to account for all four of Auburn’s RBI in the contest.
Leading by a pair of runs, Sanders put up three straight zeroes in the sixth through eighth innings with Guevara making a highlight-reel diving stab and throw to first to keep the potential tying run off base and end the eighth.
Going back out for his fifth inning of work, Sanders struck out pinch hitter Sam Miller to start the ninth, but back-to-back walks ended his outing with the tying run on first. Hetzler entered and did his job of getting two ground balls. The first was ruled an infield single, loading the bases, and the second was gloved by Guevara at third. The junior threw to Chris Rembert at second, who turned it to Eddie Madrigal at first and ended the game, giving Hetzler his second save of the season and 10th of his Auburn career.
The rubber game between the Tigers and Gators is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.