CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - A late offensive surge helped Auburn to a 4-1 elimination victory against Florida in the SEC Softball Tournament on Friday.
Ashley Boone had two of her three hits for doubles, tying the tournament record for two-baggers.
With the loss, UF (36-26) will await a possible NCAA Regional bid. The field will be announced Sunday at 8:30 p.m. AU (30-31) picked up its first tournament victory since 1997.
The Tigers broke open a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly and a two-out, solo home run from catcher Michelle Martin. AU added another run on three consecutive singles in the seventh.
"With any team in the SEC, if you give them hope, they'll run with it," UF coach Karen Johns said. "They pounded the ball in (the sixth) inning. I thought we started off really strong. I'm very disappointed. We thought we had them on the ropes in the beginning."
Boone scored in the first after a one-out double. Emily Marino singled in Boone, but Auburn tied it at 1-1 in the fourth on two base hits.
Senior Renise Landry (19-15) went six innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk.
Freshman Amanda Moore came in relief after one batter in the seventh. Moore gave up two hits and a walk.
Auburn starter Lily DuBois (9-8) earned the win in 5 innings. DuBois allowed one run, six hits, one walk and fanned two. First baseman Mary Petrie earned her second save in 1 1/2 innings.
MEN'S GOLF: The ninth-ranked Florida men's golf team finished second at the Atlanta Intercollegiate hosted by Georgia State on Friday. The Gators shot an 851 (282-286-283), second only to Georgia's 833.
"We played pretty well again today," Florida head coach Buddy Alexander said. "Unfortunately, the Bulldogs continue to be a tough team. But, the guys are playing well and we should be in a very confident frame of mind heading into regionals."
Freshman Camilo Villegas led the Gators in the tournament, shooting a 212 (68-74-70), tying him for fifth. Senior Nick Gilliam tied for eighth with a 213 (72-71-70). Sophomore Bubba Dickerson fired a three-round total of 214 (74-69-71), placing him in a tie for 10th. Junior Camilo Benedetti finished 12th with a 216 (71-73-72), and junior Ben Banks shot a 218 (71-73-84) to place him in a tie for 14th.
WOMEN'S GOLF: The Florida women's golf team is 11th after the second day of the NCAA Central Regional hosted by Purdue University at Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex on Friday.
The Gators shot a 311 on Friday to bring their tournament total to 623 (+47). Tulsa is leading the tournament after the second day of competition with a 15-over par 591.
Individually for the Gators, freshman Amanda Dick had the team's best day, shooting a three-over 75. Dick's two-day total is now 152 (+8), placing her in an 18th-place tie.
TRACK & FIELD: With the first full day of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the books, the Florida women's team has eight points and stands in sixth place.
The men's team is yet to score in the meet. Georgia leads the men's competition with 23 points, followed by Arkansas with 22.
On the women's side, Arkansas leads with 47 points, followed by Alabama with 18 points
Jukina Dickerson started off the meet for the women's team with a second place effort in the hammer throw. Dickerson's throw of 197-3 gathered eight points for the Florida cause. Top-seeded Katie McCoy from Georgia won the event with a mark of 203-10. Dickerson improved her finish from seventh at last year's SEC meet to second this year. UF's Katie Townsend was 10th with a mark of 170-11.
Florida will have five athletes in the finals of the women's 800m. Melissa DeLeon will be the top seed and will be joined by Erin Merten, Nona Allen, Kristina Bratton and Kamille Bratton.
Niki Benjamin was in a three-way tie for the final qualifying spot of the 200 meters. As a result, the final will be run in two sections.
Moise Joseph advanced in the men's 800m with a time of 1:49.34. He will be seeded third in Sunday's final.
Rickey Harris and Mike King finished 1-2 in their heat of the 400m hurdles and will advance to Sunday's finals as the top two seeds.
Aaron Armstrong advanced to the finals of the 200m with a win in his heat. Geno White also advanced out of his heat and will be the final seed.
