HOOVER, Ala.— In No. 3-seed Florida's biggest game this season, the
Gators turned to a pitcher who had won them a bunch of significant
games.
Last season.
Alex Panteliodis, who led the Gators in nearly every statistical
category in 2010, has toyed with mediocrity all year. But earlier
this season, Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan stressed he wasn't the
"forgotten man."
Yet
up until Sunday's Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship,
he pretty much had been.
Panteliodis has been inconsistent for most of 2011, but Sunday, he
tossed his most best start of the season and pitched Florida to its
first SEC Tournament title since 1991 with a 5-0 shutout over
Vanderbilt in Regions Park.
“He
was our Friday night guy last year,” O’Sullivan said. “I would be
really disappointed if he didn't give us a quality start. Now, I
didn't expect him to throw 5.1 with no runs, but I knew he could
have a performance like that.”
In
his last start (May 17) against Jacksonville, Panteliodis was
shelled, but against the conference's best hitting team, the
left-hander was on point.
The
southpaw displayed renewed velocity, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings,
while mowing down five Commodores and scattering five hits.
“It's always been there, I just haven't been able to find it,”
Panteliodis said. “I felt good today.”
Panteliodis pitched out of the stretch all afternoon, but the
junior flaunted his veteran moxie with major damage control.
Vanderbilt stranded six runners in scoring position in the first
four innings, unable to capitalize on Panteliodis' erratic
command.
“It
wasn't a good clutch day for us,” Vandy catcher Curt Casali said.
“We didn't deliver a good showing offensively.”
“He
just wiggled his way out of jams,” O’Sullivan said. “He did an
outstanding job.”
Although the left-hander continuously fell behind hitters, often
times he recovered for a big punch-out.
Panteliodis over-powered the Dores with inside fastballs, notching
three strikeouts that handcuffed hitters.
“He
was able to pound the inside zone and make good pitches,” Vandy
shortstop Anthony Gomez said.
The
Gators gave Panteliodis an early 2-0 lead when Vanderbilt committed
back-to-back errors in the second inning. Cody Dent laid down a
beautiful squeeze bunt, but All-Tournament first baseman Aaron
Westlake threw the ball into right field. Florida plated another
run when Nolan Fontana chopped an RBI groundout.
But
for the second time this season, Vanderbilt's Taylor Hill stifled
Florida's bats. Aside from the two-run second when he was let down
by porous defense, the lanky right-hander held the Gators to one
earned run on seven hits with eight strikeouts.
“We
got exactly what we needed on a championship day,” Vandy coach Tim
Corbin said of Hill’s start. “They [errors] were uncharacteristic.
These things happen but they happened to bite us today.”
After Panteliodis exited with one in the sixth, the rest of the
game was up to Florida's fantastic bullpen. Greg Larson, Nick
Maronde and Austin Maddox combined to dispose Vanderbilt's potent
lineup for 3.2 innings.
The
lefty Maronde was nasty again, retiring all six batters he
faced.
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“To single out one or two
guys wouldn't be fair. We have confidence in five or six guys,”
O’Sullivan said. “It's reassuring that we have the depth.”
Florida broke the game open in the eighth, plating a pair of
insurance runs in the when the Commodores couldn't find the strike
zone.
Daniel Pigott continued his torrid weekend, knocking two hits and a
RBI on his way to being named tournament MVP.
Unlike past teams in Hoover, the Gators didn’t celebrate in
traditional fashion and choose to skip the dog pile and instead
doled out extended handshakes and man-hugs.
Etc. Injured pitcher/designated hitter Brian
Johnson was back in the dugout for the Gators, just one day removed
from taking a line drive to the head. The sophomore was in good
spirits and O’Sullivan said his presence was an emotional lift to
the team and relieved a lot of tension. …The shutout was Florida’s
11th on the year, setting a school-record. … Before the SEC
Tournament Championship, conference Player of the Year Mike
Zunino(.250), Preston Tucker (.143) and Austin Maddox (.188) all
struggled mightily in Hoover. The trio's woes continued Sunday, as
Zunino tallied a hat trick (0-4, three strikeouts), Tucker hit a
bevy of infield pop-ups (0 for 3) and Maddox went 1 for 4 with a
run scored. … Fontana, Pigott, outfielder Bryson Smith and starter
Hudson Randall were all named to the All-Tournament Team. …The NCAA
announced the 16 Regional sites and Florida will host the
Gainesville Regional starting Friday.
