The 14th-ranked UF baseball team entered its three-game series against No. 8 Vanderbilt looking to be competitive after opening SEC play losing 2 of 3 to Mississippi State last weekend.
The Gators were anything but, getting outscored 34-6 on their way to being swept by Vandy for the first time in over a decade.
The Commodores’ pitching staff had its way with Florida’s lineup, striking out the Gators 27 times during the series.
On Thursday, Vandy starter Drake Fellows (5-0, 3.68 ERA) threw a complete-game shutout, holding the Gators (16-10, 1-5) to just five hits and handing them their first shutout defeat of the season.
UF had its opportunities against the Commodores (19-5, 4-2) on Thursday. The team put five runners in scoring position during the contest but were unable to capitalize. For the entire series in Nashville, it stranded 22 runners.
The missed chances to score on the base paths put added pressure on Florida starter Tommy Mace (4-2, 3.99 ERA). The sophomore threw 6.2 innings and allowing four earned runs off seven hits.
Instead, the right-hander picked up his second-straight SEC loss after the 5-0 decision.
Things only got uglier for Florida as the series continued.
Friday, the Gators couldn’t get off the field as Vanderbilt clinched the series, punishing its opponent 15-2.
UF starting pitcher Jack Leftwich (4-2, 4.65 ERA) had his roughest outing of the season, getting pulled after just 3.2 innings of work.
Leftwich gave up 12 hits and eight runs (six earned), losing his second-straight start after beginning the season 4-0.
The Commodores asserted themselves in the bottom half of the third, scoring six runs. It marked the first time a team has put five-plus runs on the board in one inning against the Gators all season.
Vandy starter Patrick Raby (4-0, 0.57 ERA) has been dominant so far, and he showcased why in Game 2 of the series.
The Gators only mustered three hits in Friday’s game, plating two runs in the seventh inning after the game was out of reach.
The 15-run offensive outburst for Vanderbilt is the most Florida has given up at this point in the season.
The series finale on Saturday held many of the same problems UF faced in Friday’s contest:
An inability to get off on defense and minimal run production.
Saturday’s game took an early turn in Florida’s favor as it took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third after catcher Brady Smith hit a solo homer and second baseman Jacob Young scored after a Kumar Rocker (2-2, 4.43 ERA) wild pitch.
UF held that lead until a grand slam in the bottom half of the fourth put the Commodores up for good on their way to a 14-4 victory.
Florida’s Tyler Dyson couldn’t continue his recent success since moving to the end of the weekend rotation, taking his first loss of the season.
He gave up eight earned runs off five hits and was relieved after just five innings of work.
The team’s starters combined to give up 18 earned runs off of 24 hits.
The Gators will look to rebound on Tuesday in Jacksonville against a Florida State team they dismantled in Gainesville on March 12.
Next weekend, Florida will host the Alabama Crimson Tide (19-6, 2-4), hoping to halt its less-than-ideal start to conference play.
Follow Evan Lepak on Twitter @evanmplepak and contact him at elepak@alligator.org.
Tommy Mace allowed seven hits and four runs against Vanderbilt on Thursday.
