Kyle Wright was just too good.
The Vanderbilt pitcher baffled Florida’s hitters all day long Saturday, and after watching Jeremy Vasquez and Nick Horvath strike out looking to end the eighth inning, UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan was frustrated.
“We just didn’t have very good at-bats,” he said. “That’s the one inning that bothered me the most.”
Wright went the distance in a complete-game shutout, as the No. 12 Commodores blanked the No. 1 Gators (42-9, 17-8 Southeastern Conference) 5-0 in Gainesville, giving UF its first shutout loss this season.
Florida, which recorded a season-low three hits, was without leading hitter Peter Alonso after he was struck by a pitch Friday night and suffered a small fracture in his left hand. O’Sullivan said he expects the first baseman to be back for regional play in June.
“We don’t have minor leagues where we can call people up,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re gonna need some other guys to step up.”
But on Saturday, no hitter did.
If anyone stepped up, it was UF starting pitcher A.J. Puk, who hit just one speed bump.
Vanderbilt (37-14, 15-11 SEC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when first baseman Julian Infante turned around a Puk fastball and sent it high over the left field stands. The homer was Puk’s fifth allowed this season, tied for the team lead.
Through the next four innings, though, Puk mowed the Commodores down, allowing just two hits while whiffing nine batters over that span.
The left-hander finished with 11 strikeouts — one shy of his career high — and allowed just three hits through six innings. It was also the third time in his last fourth starts that the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native struck out at least 10 batters.
“I definitely had a good feel for all my pitches today,” Puk said. “Once my secondary came along they got off my fastball.”
But Puk couldn’t outduel Wright, who got stronger as the game progressed.
The sophomore, who struck out 10, used his tight breaking ball to keep the Gators off-balance.
“We were trying to attack the fastball,” UF shortstop Dalton Guthrie said. “But when we got into fastball counts he was able to throw it for a strike. We just had trouble adjusting to it.”
In the seventh and eighth innings, Wright received more run support.
The Commodores roped a leadoff single and a one-out double off reliever Dane Dunning. Then VU took the 2-0 lead when Tyler Campbell hit a hard grounder to third baseman Jonathan India, who bobbled it, which allowed Jason Delay to score from third.
In the eighth, UF’s Kirby Snead loaded the bases before hanging a 1-2 pitch to Ethan Paul, who doubled down the right field line to plate two runs. Connor Kaiser then boosted Vanderbilt’s lead to 5-0 with an RBI single that bounced over Guthrie’s head.
While the five-run lead was insurmountable for Florida’s stagnant offense, O’Sullivan said he was happy with Puk, who walked a career-high six batters in his last start.
“The one positive pull out is A.J. threw the ball really well too,” he said.
The Gators and Commodores square off again Sunday at 1 p.m. to decide the series. Sophomore Alex Faedo is scheduled to take the mound for Florida.
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @Pinakk12.
UF's A.J. Puk pitches during Florida's 8-4 win on Feb. 20, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
