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Florida and Auburn entered the ninth inning tied at two, but a pair of plays by outfielders on each team in the final frame ultimately decided the game as the Gators stunned the Tigers, 4-2 on Friday.

Florida third baseman Colby Halter sent a line drive shot to center that Auburn CF Kason Howell was tracking, but misjudged and resulted in Brock Edge scoring to put the Gators ahead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Auburn’s Tyler Miller sent a liner to the gap in left, but LF Jacob Young hustled and made a terrific catch for the out.

How It Happened:

Backed by a strong effort from starter Franco Aleman, the Gators got on the scoreboard first in the fourth inning. Jud Fabian crushed a two run homer over the scoreboard in left center to put Florida up 2-0.

Aleman cruised until the sixth when a lead-off walk and a 1-0 count to lead-off the inning saw Kevin O’Sullivan make the move to Christian Scott.

Scott, however, struggled a bit and was hit fairly hard. In the seventh, a two-run homer by Ryan Bliss evened the score at two.

In the ninth, a Kendrick Calilao walk with one out brought up Halter with a chance at some late inning heroics.

Halter’s triple to center scored pinch runner Edge. Halter scored on Josh Rivera’s single to right-center one batter later.

Jack Leftwich came on in the ninth to close things out and promptly retired the heart of the Tigers’ lineup on just eight pitches in earning his first save.

Pitching Decision:

• W: Christian Scott (3-2)
• L: Trace Bright (3-4)
• S: Jack Leftwich (1)

Individual Stats:

• Aleman: 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 5 K, BB
• Young: 3-5, 2B
• Rivera: 2-4, RBI

On Deck:

Florida will look to clinch the series victory on Saturday with Tommy Mace on the mound. Weather in Auburn is expected to be ugly and the game has already been postponed to a 7:00 PM start time.