On the verge of being swept at home by the defending national champions, the third-ranked Auburn Tigers staged a late rally to knock off No. 1 Florida, 5-4, at Jane B. Moore Field on Monday night. Jade Rhodes delivered a walk-off single that scored Emily Carosone and delivered Florida (25-1, 2-1 SEC) its first loss.
The win is Clint Myers' first against Florida as Auburn head coach. He was previously 0-6.
Down 4-3 in the final inning, Emily Spain led off as a pinch hitter and drew a walk. Victoria Draper came in as a pinch runner and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A fielder's choice on a hit by Carosone led to Draper scoring to tie the game.
With runners on second and third with two outs, Jade Rhodes was able to beat the throw to first, which allowed Carosone to score the game-winner.
"We matured a lot this series as a team," Myers said. "We kind of grew up a little bit."
Kaylee Carlson got the start for the Tigers and pitched six complete innings, throwing 123 pitches. She was relieved in the seventh by Makayla Martin, who earned the win (5-1).
Rhodes didn't just end the scoring for the Tigers, she began it as well. Her second-inning homer made it 2-0 before four consecutive Florida runs, including a three-run shot by Kirsti Merritt that gave Florida a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning.
Auburn would respond to Florida's homer with one of its own, this time a solo shot by Carosone that made the score 4-3. In the next inning, Florida loaded the bases with two outs but failed to score.
Despite the loss, Florida still earned an impressive road series win, while Auburn comes away from the series with the momentum of winning the final game and soiling the Gators' perfect record.
"This is a quality team that really never quits," Myers said. "One through nine, the bench and everything else, and that's great character, and I'll go to war with any of them."
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