Florida Swept Again in SEC Play, Loses 11-3 in Series Finale Against No. 23 Vanderbilt

Florida suffered an 11-3 loss to No. 23 Vanderbilt in game three of the series at Condron Family Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.

Vanderbilt’s offense ignited late in the game, securing the win after building a sizable lead.

The game started with both teams being held scoreless in the first inning, despite each recording a hit.

The Commodores took the lead in the second inning when Jonathan Vastine singled home Brodie Johnston to make it 1-0.

Florida responded in the bottom of the second when Hayden Yost led off with a single, swiped second base, and moved to third on a groundout from Justin Nadeau.

Bobby Boser came through with an RBI single to left, tying the game at 1-1.

However, Vanderbilt’s offense exploded in the fourth inning, as the first three batters reached base.

This prompted the exit of Gators starter Alex Philpott, who had pitched three innings while allowing just one run.

The Commodores capitalized, scoring three runs in the frame, including an RBI single from Colin Barczi and sacrifice flies by Vastine and Rustan Rigdon, which pushed their lead to 4-1.

Florida threatened again in the fifth inning when Boser and Colby Shelton launched back-to-back home runs, bringing the Gators within one run at 4-3.

Boser’s home run was his 11th of the season, and Shelton’s blast was his sixth.

This marked the first time Florida hit back-to-back home runs since June 2, 2024, when Shelton and Luke Heyman did so against Nebraska.

Despite McDonald’s flawless work in the fifth inning, Vanderbilt took advantage of a pitching change in the sixth.

After McDonald retired nine straight batters, the Commodores scored two more runs in the sixth, one coming on a 6-4-3 double play and the other on a balk that advanced Rigdon home, giving Vanderbilt a 6-3 lead.

Florida worked to hold the score in the eighth, escaping a bases-loaded jam when righty Billy Barlow induced two groundouts followed by an inning-ending foul-out to Boser.

Vanderbilt put the game out of reach in the ninth with a solo home run from Riley Nelson to right-center.

Barczi followed with an RBI single, and Rigdon capped the scoring with a three-run home run to right-center, extending the Commodores' lead to 11-3.

Matthew Shorey (2-0) earned the win for Vanderbilt, tossing 1 1/3 innings and allowing one run on two hits.

Tommy O'Rourke secured his second save of the season in relief.

Philpott (0-3) took the loss, allowing four earned runs over three-plus innings.

He finished the game with four hits allowed, two walks, and two strikeouts.

Vanderbilt’s starter Brennan Seiber pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit while walking two and not recording a strikeout.

Notable individual performances included Yost stealing his team-leading ninth base of the season.

Boser, who is leading the team in RBIs, finished the game 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, increasing his RBI total to 37.

McDonald impressed in his relief role, retiring all nine batters he faced.

Boser has now reached base safely in 14 consecutive games, while Shelton has reached in 33 of 34 games this season.

Florida’s all-time record against Vanderbilt now stands at 148-85-1, with the Gators holding a 84-27 advantage at home.

Under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida is 35-27 and 19-12 at home in the series against Vanderbilt.

This defeat marked the first time the Gators were swept at home by the Commodores.

Florida will look to bounce back when they host Florida State at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday, with the game scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and broadcast on ESPN2.