The Florida Softball team (27-12, 6-5 SEC) played its second extra-inning game in three days, defeating the Auburn Tigers (23-9, 6-5 SEC), 5-4, in the second game of a doubleheader at the Florida Softball Stadium on Tuesday night. The Gators lost the first game of the set, 2-1, as they were no hit by the Tigers.

Junior Lauren Roussell (Cerritos, Calif.) led off Gator half of the fourth inning off with a walk.  Freshman Alicia Spack (West Lafayette, Ind.) came in to pinch ran for Roussell and advanced to second on a throwing error by the Auburn third baseman as senior Kristen Butler (Orlando, Fla.) was safe at first. Senior Lindsey Cameron (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt.  Junior Melissa Zick (Tampa, Fla.) walked to load the bases. Junior Lacy Howard (League City, Texas) drew a second consecutive walk off of Auburn pitcher Beth DiPietro to bring Spack home to give the Gators a 1-0 lead. 

Auburn took the lead in the top of seventh. Taryn Gray led off the inning with a base hit to left field. A Kristina McCain double put two runners in scoring position for Ashley Griffin. Griffin knocked a base hit to right to score Gray to tie the game at one run a piece. A Hollie Currie base hit through the left side with two outs in the inning proved to be the winning run for Auburn. 

Junior Stacey Stevens (Gainesville, Fla.) started the game in the circle for the Gators. She pitched 5.1 innings without giving up a run, striking out four, but walking five. Freshman Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) relieved Stevens with one out in the sixth and gave up the two runs for the loss to move her record to 8-6. Auburn started pitched the complete game no hitter to improve her record to 10-3.

Both teams were held scoreless until the top of the fourth in game two. With one out, Auburn’s Currie doubled down the left line. A Tat Fernandez two run homer to center, gave the Tigers a 2-0 lift. Amy Shaw reached with a base hit to right. She stole second and advanced to third on a Gator error. Shaw scored a a second Gator error for the three-run lead.

The Tigers took a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth as Griffin scored on a Fernandez base hit to center.

The Gators started a comeback in the bottom half of the fifth. Freshman Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) led off with a bunt single and stole second. Roussell drew a walk, and like the first game, Spack came in to pinch run for her. Waleszonia and Spack both scored on a Cameron double down the left line. Cameron advanced to third as the Tigers tried to throw Spack out at home. Cameron scored the Gators third run of the inning on a wild pitch from Auburn pitcher Currie to bring the Gators within one at 4-3.

Two Gator freshmen tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Brooke Johnson (Lakeland, Fla.) doubled to center to lead off the inning. With one out, Waleszonia singled up the middle to score Johnson and tie the game at 4-4.

The teams remained knotted at four until the bottom of the ninth. Cameron drew a lead off walk. With one out, Howard singled to right to move Cameron into scoring position. Junior Shelley Stevens (Gainesville, Fla.) reached on a fielder’s choice, putting Cameron out at third, but leaving Howard at second. Johnson ripped a shot down the left field line for her second hit of the night two score Howard for the 5-4 Gator win.

Nelson started game two in the circle for the Gators, but was relieved by freshman Lindsay Littlejohn (Bartow, Fla.) in the fifth to earn the win and improve her record to 9-4 on the year. DiPietro took the loss in game two after relieving Currie in the eighth to move her record to 10-4.

The two teams will play the rubber match tomorrow at 2 p.m.