Gators drop series opener to Vanderbilt in walk-off fashion

Florida baseball kicked off the Passover-Easter weekend series against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville on Friday night with a heartbreaking 5-4 walk-off loss. The Gators held an early advantage but simply could not hold on for a full nine innings.

Jud Fabian got things started early with a two-run homer following a lead-off full-count walk drawn by Colby Halter to open the game. The round-tripper was the center fielder’s 14th of the season and fifth in SEC play, giving the Gators an early lead.

Hunter Barco took the rubber for Florida and could not keep the ‘Dores off the board in the bottom of the first frame, allowing three straight singles that plated a run after striking out the first two batters he faced. He escaped further damage by sending down the sixth batter he saw swinging.

The second inning went quietly for the Gators, as Josh Rivera drew a walk after a leadoff lineout by Kendrick Calilao that was erased by a double play grounded into by Mac Guscette. Vandy, however, tied things up in a 1-0 count with a deep drive to left by Calvin Hewett. Barco buckled down afterward to get the next two outs before a walk and an error on a pickoff attempt put the pitcher in peril but he escaped the jam with a groundout.

Kevin O'Sullivan said that Barco was coming off being sick and looked “a little run down” early, so he put Nick Ficarrotta in to start the third. A harmless single was all the Commodores could muster, and Florida reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. Calilao drove in Wyatt Langford, who opened the inning up with a double and moved over to third on a BT Riopelle fly ball to right.

Vanderbilt’s starter, Chris McElvain, was pulled after a Deric Fabian single in the top of the fifth for sophomore right-hander Patrick Reilly. Langford eventually brought Fabian home on a single, but Reilly kept Florida quiet through the remainder of the frame.

Ficarrotta came back out for the sixth but four innings of relief was too much to ask for. A four-pitch walk was followed by a single and a sacrifice bunt, and then O’Sullivan brought in Phillip Abner to face a single batter. A sac fly to center brought the score to 4-3, and in came Ryan Slater to close things out with a strikeout. Unfortunately, Riopelle let a ball go under his legs and to the backstop allowing the tying run to come in without a base hit.

Each team left two runners on base in the seventh, and Florida made yet another pitching change. This time it was the Gators’ ace-in-the-hole Blake Purnell for his 20th appearance of the season. The Commodores brought in junior Thomas Schultz in the eighth to counter.

The game threatened to go into extras, but Sully once again leaned too hard on one of his best relievers. Purnell didn’t get single out in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a throwing error by Rivera. An intentional walk loaded the bases, and Jack Bulger sent the fans home happy with a game-winning single into right-center.

The loss isn’t Purnell’s fault and it’s not the first time he’s been left stranded on the mound with no options to bail him out. Pitching depth continues to be a huge problem for this club and Sully continues to misjudge the stamina of his top bullpen arms.

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