The Gators’ bats remained silent long after Easter service ended Sunday.
No. 8 Florida (20-7, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) was shut out for the first time this season in a 7-0 loss to Vanderbilt. The No. 17 Commodores (24-6, 5-4 SEC) limited the Gators to five hits, preventing UF from sweeping its third series of the year.
Jack Armstrong, Vanderbilt’s No. 3 starter, shut Florida’s offense down. The Gators entered Sunday averaging 7 runs per game, but Armstrong held them to four hits in six innings.
“Their pitcher did a nice job,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He battled and put the ball in play, but we certainly had our opportunities. You look back on a Sunday and only have five hits, it’s going to be tough to win any game, let alone a Sunday game.”
The 6-foot-6 Armstrong relied on his two-seam fastball, which sinks as it approaches the plate and hits the mid-90s. The downward spin on the pitch fooled Florida hitters, as 11 of the 16 balls in play were grounders.
Armstrong, a Jupiter native who was recruited by UF, struck out four and said the 77-degree temperature helped him shut down the Gators.
“My arm moves a little better,” he said. “It’s just that Florida weather. I’m used to it.”
Florida starter Hudson Randall, on the other hand, did struggle with the heat. Randall used his slider for most of the game, trying to get the Commodores’ hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone.
He was successful and recorded a season-high six strikeouts. But deep pitch counts tired Randall, and he was pulled after throwing 93 pitches in 5.2 innings.
“With the heat and the pitch count, I wasn’t getting many quick outs,” Randall said. “It was definitely wearing on me.”
Randall allowed seven hits, but VU managed just two earned runs. The freshman’s only mistake was hanging a first-pitch slider to Commodores third baseman Jason Esposito, who pulled the ball past the left-field bleachers for the first of two solo homers.
“We got a good, quality start from Hudson Randall,” O’Sullivan said. “He pitched us into the sixth inning and did a nice job. Other than the one pitch to Esposito, I thought he threw the ball really, really well.”
While the Gators’ offense only managed five hits, the team did have chances to reach home. Florida lead-off hitters reached base in four-straight innings.
Shortstop Nolan Fontana and first baseman Preston Tucker reached second and third in the sixth, but second baseman Josh Adams grounded out to end the frame.
“Today we didn’t play too well,” Fontana said, “and we got it handed to us.”
