Gators survive SEC quarters scare, beat Auburn 10-9

The No. 12 Florida Gators softball team survived a wild back-and-forth battle against Auburn in Thursday’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal in Lexington, Kentucky, escaping with a 10-9 victory. And it took plenty of grit to advance.

“We just kept telling each other to punch back,” Florida first baseman Jocelyn Erickson said during a postgame interview on SEC Network. “When we get punched, we can’t just lay down on the ground. We’ve got to punch back and keep fighting. We’ve really been talking about being gritty and getting the job done. I’m really proud of our team today.”

Auburn, the tournament’s No. 14 seed, entered needing a win to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Instead, the Tigers finish the season 27-28 after knocking off Missouri and Texas A&M on the previous two days to reach the quarterfinals.

Florida, the No. 3 seed, improved to 48-9 and will face either Alabama or Arkansas in Friday’s semifinals.

The Gators trailed 8-6 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before rallying. Center fielder Taylor Shumakerled led things off with a single, and Erickson followed with a towering homer to right field to tie the game. Third baseman Kendall Grover and catcher Ella Wesolowski later delivered RBI singles to give UF a 10-8 lead.

Florida starter Keagan Rothrock, who threw three innings to begin the game, returned to the circle in the seventh. Auburn’s AnnaLea Adams homered, her second of the game, with two outs to cut the deficit to one, but Rothrock ended the game by striking out the next batter looking. Rothrock, who allowed five earned runs across 4.0 innings, earned the save, while UF reliever Leah Stevens (5-1) picked up the win.

The Tigers, who finished with 12 hits — one more than Florida — grabbed leads in the third inning (4-1) and sixth inning (8-6). One of the game’s biggest moments came in the third, when Florida Gators left fielder Townsen Thomas made a terrific catch near the wall with two outs and the bases loaded, preventing Auburn from breaking the game open.

“I was just thinking, ‘Come on, we’ve got to keep fighting and we’ve got to keep doing it all for our pitchers,’” Thomas told SEC Network.

Shumaker and Grover led the Florida Gators with three hits apiece. Grover added Florida’s other home run and drove in a team-high three runs.