Vanderbilt scored early and often, plating four runs in the first inning, two in the second, and three in the third. That left the Gators (44-14) to play catch-up the rest of the way, eventually falling 11-6 in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
The Commodores (40-18) advanced to Sunday's championship game to face Texas A&M, which beat Arkansas in Saturday's first semifinal. Florida was 4-0 against Vanderbilt before Saturday and owned a 28-7 advantage in runs.
However, Gators starter Jac Caglianone struggled with his control as Vanderbilt scored four runs on two hits in the first inning, aided by a walk, a wild pitch and a hit batter by Caglianone. Despite falling behind 10-1 after three innings, the Gators kept the pressure on Vanderbilt starter JD Thompson (4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER).
"Vanderbilt, obviously, played really well and jumped out to a comfortable lead. And we uncharacteristically made three errors today, made some other mistakes that kind of put us in a tough spot early. But offensively we battled throughout the game. We always felt like we had a chance to get back into it, and I think that's one of the biggest things we'll take away from just this week is we have an identity now offensively, which we've had the entire year, but I think everybody has seen it, that we feel like we can come back, regardless of the deficit that we're in. So all in all, it was a really good week for us. Today we're a little disappointed, but we've got bigger and better things ahead of us," said Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan following Saturday's game.
Cade Kurland, Luke Heyman and Wyatt Langford each homered for the Gators, highlighted by Langford's two-run homer in the fifth that left the Hoover Met with a career-best 117-mph exit velocity.
PLAY OF THE GAME: The game started inauspiciously for the Gators when Vanderbilt leadoff hitter Enrique Bradfield Jr. reached on an error by shortstop Josh Rivera and Caglianone walked Davis Diaz. Vanderbilt's No. 3 hitter, RJ Schrek, then hit a ball back to the mound that Caglianone fielded quickly with a chance to retire Bradfield at third. However, Caglianone's throw sailed over the head of third baseman Dale Thomas for an error, allowing Bradfield to score and Diaz to reach third. Caglianone then hit the next batter, Parker Noland, and his wild pitch allowed Diaz to score. After a pair of strikeouts, RJ Austin delivered a two-out, two-run single for a 4-0 lead.
STRANGE STAT: Vanderbilt's four-run outburst in the first inning Saturday matched the Commodores' run total from their visit to Condron Ballpark earlier this month. The Gators swept the three-game series by outscoring Vanderbilt 22-4.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Gators catcher BT Riopelle drove in a pair of runs Saturday, setting a new school record for most RBI in the SEC Tournament. Riopelle finished 4-for-13 with three home runs and 10 RBI in the tournament, eclipsing the previous school record of nine RBI by Ben Harrison in 2002.
KEY MOMENT: Florida's quest for an unlikely comeback took its final breath in the seventh after Langford, Caglianone and Rivera hit back-to-back-to-back singles with one out to load the bases. Riopelle drove home a run on a ground out to third to make it 11-6, but any hope of a breakout inning ended when Luke Heyman hit a fly ball to right for the final out.
BY THE NUMBERS: 15 — NCAA Tournament berths for the Gators in head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's 16 seasons. The 2020 postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic with Florida ranked No. 1 at the time; 6 — Pitchers used by the Gators on Saturday: Caglianone, Nick Ficarrotta, Tyler Nesbitt, Blake Purnell, Chris Arroyo and Fisher Jameson.