Less than three hours after an exhilarating comeback win, the No. 8 Florida baseball team left Hawkins Field with a bitter taste in their mouths and a game behind No. 3 Vanderbilt for first place in the conference.
UF scored two runs in the ninth inning to win 6-5, completing Friday's rain-suspended contest. But the Commodores (41-7, 19-6 Southeastern Conference) pounded the Gators (38-12, 18-7 SEC) for 18 hits and 14 runs, splitting the pseudo-doubleheader.
"I was awfully proud of the way we battled back in the first game, great comeback win," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Wish we'd played a little better in the second game. It was probably the worst we've played all year. Bottom line, it's one loss, just like the nice win was just one win."
Vanderbilt banged nine extra-base hits including seven doubles and a grand slam, walloping UF 14-1 Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn.
In a 2-1 game in the sixth, the Commodores plated six runs on Gators lefty Brian Johnson to bust the game wide open and regain sole possession of first place in the SEC Eastern Division.
Johnson struggled with command as Vanderbilt tagged the sophomore for eight runs and nine hits in just 4.1 innings.
After Florida's bullpen propelled the team to victory in the opener, the pen allowed six runs in mop-up duty in the blowout.
Freshman Daniel Gibson was knocked around for five runs while recording just two outs.
Vanderbilt's southpaw Grayson Garvin carved Florida's hitters for seven strong innings, striking out six and scattering six hits.
Three of Florida's big bats - Preston Tucker, Josh Adams and Mike Zunino - combined to go 0 for 10 with six strikeouts.
Senior Bryson Smith hit a leadoff homer in third, giving UF a brief lead in its only highlight of the second game.
"We'll go over the mistakes," O'Sullivan said. "As disappointing as it is, we still have a chance to win the series [Sunday]."
With a win in the finale, the Gators can tie the Commodores for first place. Florida was briefly squared with Vandy after winning in dramatic fashion to finish Friday's suspended contest.
Down 4-2 when Friday's game resumed play, Nolan Fontana smacked a two-run homer into the right field bleachers to tie the game in the seventh inning.
Vanderbilt scored the go-ahead run with a two-out hit in the eighth, a single up the middle Adams possibly misplayed.
But the senior second baseman responded with a leadoff bomb in the ninth, tying the game and sending Florida's bench into a frenzy. After Daniel Pigott singled with one out, Smith ripped an opposite field double to plate the game-winning run.
Austin Maddox collected his second career save with a scoreless ninth, as UF's bullpen outlasted Vandy's.
O'Sullivan used five relievers in the first game Saturday, including lefty Alex Panteliodis who tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to start the sixth.
"We had an outline before the game started," O'Sullivan said. "It's nice when things work out like you want to. We played like we were tied from the start."
