Raith Rovers just failed to record a victory after a magnificent second half fight-back which saw the Kirkcaldy side lead 3-2 after having been 2-0 down at the interval.
Gordon Dalziel's men were forced to settle for a point after Raymond Logan fired home an equaliser for Ayr in the fourth minute of injury time.
It was Logan who had given the visitors the lead after 28 minutes when he sent a fiercely struck 20-yard free-kick past Rovers keeper Ally Brown after Andy Reid had been fouled by Chris Silvestro.
Gareth Wardlaw made it 2-0 to the Honest Men just before half-time when he headed home from close range after Raith defender Chris McLeod had failed to clear a cross from Paul Hyslop.
The Fife side looked destined for defeat at this stage, but clearly one of Gordon Dalziel's legendary half-time orations had the desired effect with Scott Crabbe's 39th minute strike hauling them back into contention.
The ordering off of Raith defender Chris Hilland for a second bookable offence after 59 minutes did nothing to halt Raith's momentum and they equalised four minutes later when Paul McManus headed home from a David Fairbairn cross.
Astonishingly, Raith took the lead for the first time after 73 minutes through a Neil Jablonski header, and a remarkable victory looked to be on the cards until Logan drove home his second of the afternoon with the last kick of the ball.