Auburn takes series opener in Gainesville

Florida Gators catcher BT Riopelle running to first base as the #7 Gators defeat the #22 ranked University of Miami Hurricanes 10-4 at the Florida Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida on March 3rd, 2023. (Photo by David Bowie/Gatorcountry)No. 3 Florida dropped the series opener 10-1 against Auburn on Friday night inside Condron Ballpark.

The Tigers struck for eight runs in the first two frames, knocking Florida’s starter Brandon Sproat out of the game after tossing just 1.1 innings.

Sproat allowed eight earned runs on four hits, three walks, and one hit by pitch. Command was a big issue for the hard throwing right hander on Friday night. Sproat wasn’t fooling anyone when he was getting it across…