After another blown save in the bottom of the ninth, Florida freshman Deric Fabian played hero with a solo homer to lead the Gators past Vanderbilt 4-3 in extra innings Sunday. The Gators avoided being swept in Nashville as a result of the blast.
Freshman pitcher Brandon Neely pitched a gem over the first six innings, allowing just one run over 6.1 innings of work. Additionally, he struck out seven and walked just one before turning the game over to Tyler Nesbitt.
The Gators struck early with a RBI single from Wyatt Langford in the first. BT Riopelle followed with an RBI groundout to put Florida on top 2-0.
Jud Fabian crushed his fifteenth homer of the year in the third and the Gators fielded a 3-0 advantage.
Vanderbilt cut into the deficit in the fifth as Neely made his only mistake of the afternoon.
Nesbitt retired the first seven batters he faced before allowing a single with two outs in the ninth. Then, Bulger homered to even things up to force extra innings.
In the tenth, Deric Fabian hit a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left to put the Gators back on top. Nesbitt completed the win by retiring the side allowing just one base runner in the final inning via error.
Florida improved to 22-14 overall and 6-9 in conference play. The Gators are tied for fourth in the SEC East currently.
Pitching Decision:
- W: Tyler Nesbitt (1-2)
- L: Christian Little (0-1)
Individual Stats:
- J. Fabian: 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R
- Riopelle: 2-4, 3B, RBI
- Neely: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 7 K, BB
- Nesbitt: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 K, BB
On Deck:
Florida will face Stetson in midweek action at Florida Ballpark on Tuesday before welcoming the nation’s number one team, Tennessee for a weekend series. Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello will miss the first two games after being suspended for bumping an umpire following his ejection Saturday.