Florida pitcher Natalie Lugo found herself in a pair of stressful situations during game two of the Auburn series Saturday afternoon.
The fifth-year senior easily cruised past the stale Tigers offense, allowing no hits in her first two relief innings and riding a comfortable 7-2 lead going into the sixth frame.
Auburn, however, found its offensive groove thanks to a two-run bomb by shortstop Nelia Peralta. The Tigers threatened to upset Florida for the second day in a row when it scored two more runs in the subsequent inning.
With runners in the corners and two outs, Lugo dealt a pitch to freshman outfielder Jessie Blaine The ball found the tip of the bat and rolled gracefully to third baseman Sam Roe for an easy game-clinching throw to first.
The No. 7 Florida Gators (29-6, 6-5) snuck away with a 7-6 win over No.17 Auburn (29-5, 7-4) Saturday, surviving the late-game rally to level the series to one game each.
After a hard-fought, 3-1 loss in the opening game, Florida flexed a much-improved offense.
Freshman Kendra Falby led off the first inning with a walk and advanced to second after redshirt junior Skylar Wallace hit a groundout to shortstop. In the next at-bat, fifth-year senior Hannah Adams notched a full-count double to bring in Falby and crossed the plate after catcher Emily Wilkie singled down the left-field line.
Florida’s electric offense nearly extended the lead in the third frame when Adams and senior outfielder Cheyenne Lindsey racked up a double and a single, respectively. However, Wilkie and freshman outfielder Katie Kistler left them stranded after a flyout and a groundout.
In the bottom of the frame, Auburn capitalized on a walk and home run by sophomore Makayla Packer to tie the game. Despite the two-run shot, UF starter Lexie Delbrey kept the Tigers at bay for 3.0 innings with three strikeouts and a walk.
Florida regained the lead with a seven-hit, four-run fourth inning.
Roe led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a wild pitch from KK Dismukes before scoring on a Falby RBI single. Falby sprinted to steal second and crossed the plate after Wallace hit a double to center field. In the next at-bat, Wallace attempted to steal third base but was tagged out for the first time this season — she was a perfect 30-30 in base-stealing this season.
Later that inning, freshman Reagan Walsh smacked a line-drive double to right field to bring in Adams from first base before scoring on a Lindsey RBI single to make it 6-2.
The Gators extended their lead in the fifth inning thanks to Falby’s impressive speed. The outfielder scored from first base after the delivery from Tigers catcher Aspyn Godwin to second hit Falby and rolled into no man’s land.
Nearly identical to the first scoring opportunity, Auburn marked two runs in the fifth after Lugo gave up a walk and a home run. The Tigers threatened once again in the final frame after getting a walk, double and triple, placing Lugo in another tight squeeze.
The right-hander stood tall in the circle and took Blaine to a 1-2 count, eventually retiring the Auburn batter on a third base groundout.
The Gators look to win the series finale Sunday at 2 p.m. at Jane B. Moore Field. The game can be broadcast via SEC Network+.
Contact Jose Tovar at jtovar@alligator.org. Find him on Twitter @jose___tovar.
Jose Tovar is a fourth-year journalism student at the University of Florida specializing in sports and media. He has covered softball and soccer as a beat writer and aspires to work in the sports media industry.
