If Thursday night’s game between the Auburn and Florida baseball teams was a carefully choreographed ballet, Friday night’s matchup was a chaotic mosh pit.
With two high-profile pitchers toeing the rubber in the middle game of the series at McKethan Stadium, both offenses came to life from their Game-1 doldrums and combined for 16 runs. But this time, it was the Tigers who took the win 11-5.
The Gators (35-10, 15-5 SEC) sent right-hander Jackson Kowar to the mound to compete for their seventh conference series win in as many tries. After allowing two consecutive one-out singles in the top of the first inning, Kowar unleashed a 3-2 fastball to designated hitter Edouard Julien.
The Auburn batter crushed the offering, sending the ball soaring across the early evening sky and out to the parking lot beyond the left field wall for an early 3-0 lead.
Kowar’s night didn’t get too much better from there. The 6-foot-6 junior from Charlotte, North Carolina, went on to give up four more runs (two earned) in 4.1 innings of work.
Two innings later, the Gators began their long night of playing catch-up. Center fielder Nick Horvath powered a 1-1 pitch out on nearly the same path as Julien’s, though considerably shorter. But the solo shot cut into the deficit nonetheless.
Shortstop Deacon Liput followed that act with a dinger of his own, this time driving it out to right-center to complete the back-to-back homers.
The 3-2 deficit would be the closest the Gators could pull within the Tigers through the night.
Florida’s bullpen wiped out the Tigers’ lineup on Thursday. The same couldn’t be said on Friday night, as UF relievers surrendered four more runs while trying to keep the game manageable. Sophomore left-hander Andrew Baker came in for Kowar in the fifth and immediately fell into trouble when he walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. After striking out the next batter, Baker faced Auburn shortstop Will Holland.
On an 0-1 pitch, Holland pulled the ball out to left-center field for a two-RBI single to make up for the Florida home runs in the third.
The Tigers (31-13, 10-10 SEC) put up a two-spot in the next two innings, but Florida continued to keep it close with a run in the fifth and a pair of scores in the sixth. In freshman reliever Tommy Mace’s final inning, Auburn made sure to close out strong with two runs off of consecutive doubles in the ninth.
The Gators desperately tried to extend the game in the ninth. After Liput walked with one out and Maldonado struck out swinging, third baseman Jonathan India sent a line drive toward the right-field wall. But Auburn right fielder Steven Williams extended his glove just above the blue padding in front of the visiting bullpen to snag the final out.
The rubber match between the two teams is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday. Since Florida’s normal Sunday starter Tyler Dyson pitched an inning of relief on Tuesday against Mercer, it remains to be seen who starts in his place if he doesn’t.
Follow Morgan McMullen on Twitter @MorganMcMuffin and contact him at mmcmullen@alligator.org.
Junior pitcher Jackson Kowar started on Friday against the Razorbacks, throwing six innings and allowing four earned runs during his fourth loss of the season.
