As the first pitch was headed towards junior Janell Wheaton in the fourth inning, pinch runner Jacqui Switzer was running towards second.
After successfully stealing second base, Florida now had Switzer and junior Nicole DeWitt in scoring position. And with just one out, the Gators had Aleshia Ocasio and Sophia Reynoso due up to try and tie up the game with Auburn.
Both hit a fly-out, sending the game into the fifth inning with the Tigers holding on to their 1-0 lead after a home run from Auburn junior Kendall Veach.
Florida had no other response for the remainder of the game, and the team was handed its second loss of the season.
The loss was Florida’s second at home, and Auburn’s first win in Gainesville since 2006.
“The bats were good, the defense was good, (Veach) did a good job on one pitch,” coach Tim Walton said, “And we couldn’t execute and get runners in scoring position and be able to hit a runner in from scoring position so that’s the key.”
Auburn got their solo run of the game early in the 2nd inning off the home run from Veach.
“It was just a mis-pitch, those things happen,” senior Delanie Gourley said. “But I was able to come back with my team, all game this team said ‘we have your back, we have your back, don’t worry’ and so even when we do lose, I never lose faith in them.”
Veach’s homer was one of three hits allowed by Gourley in the loss. The senior from Lakeside, California, retired five straight Tigers after the home run.
Despite the loss, she had an excellent pitching performance, throwing ten strikeouts and allowing one walk.
This was the first time the Gators have been shutout in a game since the 2016 Super Regionals against Georgia.
Florida was still able to get on base throughout the game, as Auburn pitcher Kaylee Carlson allowed five walks, but the team was unable to convert and put any runs on the scoreboard.
The only players on the Gator roster to convert a hit were Ocasio, DeWitt, and freshman Jaimie Hoover.
After leaving two on base in the fourth inning, the closest the Gators got to scoring again was in the sixth.
Junior Kayli Kvistad forced the walk and, with two outs, Ocasio was able to hit a single to shallow left field. The hit, which put runners on first and second, brought Reynoso up to the plate. The redshirt freshman has the third-highest on-base percentage of the team at .462.
But she hit a pop out to center field to end the sixth inning and ended the game 0-for-3.
The loss concluded a competitive series against the No. 4 Auburn Tigers.
“I think (the series) was really good overall,” Gourley said. “We came out and attacked, our bats were on fire, our pitching was good…if we can come out like that every weekend and just attack the other team we are going to be sitting really well.”
Florida will play its next game at home against Bethune-Cookman this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Contact Cassie Amundson at camundson@alligator.org or follow her on Twitter @camundson_.
Janell Wheaton notched a walk-off walk to seal the game for the Gators early Friday morning.
