Florida uses distraction to pull off crazy steal of home with season on the line

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
0
Florida pulled off a gutsy steal in a crucial moment against Auburn. (Screengrab via @NCAACWS on Twitter)
Florida pulled off a gutsy steal in a crucial moment against Auburn. (Screengrab via @NCAACWS on Twitter)

With a trip to the College World Series on the line, you knew Florida and Auburn were going to do whatever it took to pick up a win Monday night. Everything was on the table, and that included a steal of home in a crucial moment.

That’s exactly what fans got during the contest. With the game tied 1-1 in the fourth, Florida pulled off a steal of home to take the lead over Auburn. But this wasn’t a normal steal of home. This was a well-executed trick play.

What happened?

Florida was threatening in the fourth. The team had runners on first and third with two outs. They needed to get a run across to break the tie.

That’s when Nick Horvath took off from first base. He was on his way to second when disaster struck. Horvath tripped and fell on the base paths. He was a sitting duck. Auburn’s pitcher, Andrew Mitchell, noticed that, and turned to throw Horvath out.

There was one problem, though. The runner who was standing on third, Blake Reese, was on his way home. Mitchell fired the ball to the plate, but was too late. Reese slid in safety, stealing home to give Florida the lead.

Turns out, Horvath falling on his way to second was planned. He was supposed to distract the pitcher long enough for Reese to make it home. He succeeded.

What!?!?!?

Yeah, take a look from a different angle.

Everything on the line

It was a gutsy move. Florida and Auburn were in the middle of a winner-take-all game. The victor would receive a trip to the College World Series. In a do-or-die scenario, Florida decided to risk it all. We have to give them props for that.

All for nothing

The play would not decide the game. Auburn managed a run later, tying things up. That shouldn’t diminish the steal of home, though. That will still be awesome, regardless of the end result.

Redemption

The game received an exciting finale. Florida hit a walk-off home run in the 11th, to pick up a 3-2 win and advance to the College World Series.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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