OMAHA, Neb. — Entering Friday, the Gators were in the driver's seat at the College World Series. After six long months and 70 games, their rolling train finally reached its destination.
For the first time since 2005, Florida — the nation's preseason top-ranked team burdened with lofty expectations and rapid-pressure — is headed back to the championship series at the CWS.
In a dramatic contest against conference rival Vanderbilt, the Gators (53-17) dropped the Commodores (52-12) for the fifth time in six tries — and second time in four day — 6-4 Friday at TD Ameritrade Park.
Starting Monday, Florida will play either South Carolina or Virginia in the best-of-three championship series.
"You've got to have some breaks along the way," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "This is a long grind. This team from day one, its goal was to set out to play for a national championship. That doesn't always come in the end, but they've been focused and we're looking forward to it."
Preston Tucker was the hero once again Friday afternoon, crushing Vanderbilt's comeback hopes with a run-scoring rope off the left field wall to plate the winning run.
After a blowing a late three-run lead, Florida loaded the bases in a tie game in the eighth and Tucker — who smashed a three-run bomb in UF's 3-1 win over Vandy Monday — ripped a ball just over the head of Tony Kemp for a long single and his 20th RBI of the NCAA Tournament.
"I was looking for a fastball I could elevate," Tucker said. "All I was worried about was getting the run in from third."
Mike Zunino followed with a strikeout, but the ball skipped away from Commodores catcher Curt Casali to plate Cody Dent for an insurance run.
Dent had a red-letter day, reaching base in all four plate appearances. The third baseman (2 for 2 with two runs scored and a pair of walks) sparked Florida's offense with a leadoff triple in the third, smoking a ball into the right field gap for his first career three-base knock.
"The championship series is something we've worked for all season," Dent said. "It's real exciting that I've been a part of it. Every day I go out and work hard and just try and have quality at-bats."
After Vanderbilt's Aaron Westlake smashed a solo bomb into the right field bullpen in the first, Florida rallied for four runs over the next four innings against first-rounder Sonny Gray to take a three-run lead into the seventh.
Gray (12-4, 2.43 ERA) — the 18th overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in the MLB Draft — was feast or famine, throwing seven plus rocky innings and striking out eight while allowing 12 hits and six runs.
The power right-hander tossed an astounding 132 pitches but also misplayed several bunts during the back-and-forth outing.
In the fourth, Gray struck out the side, but Florida managed to take a two-run advantage. The Gators loaded the bases on a pair of singles — including an opposite field knock from Tyler Thompson, who was robbed of a run-scoring hit in his first at-bat — and a workman-like walk from Dent.
With two outs, Nolan Fontana, who had been 0-9 in Omaha, chopped a two-run single up the middle to score two.
Florida plated another run in the sixth on a bases-loaded double play from Bryson Smith, but the Gators nearly squandered a solid start from Alex Panteliodis.
The junior southpaw, who set a school-record with seven postseason starts and 34 punch-outs, went six sharp innings before being relieved for UF's usually dominant bullpen.
Panteliodis (6-2, 3.71 ERA), who shutout Vandy for 5.1 innings at the SEC Tournament championship game, retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced but was pulled after a 1-2-3 sixth.
The Gators subsequently fumbled away a three-run lead as the bullpen inexplicably imploded. Traditional stalwarts Tommy Toledo and Nick Maronde struggled, as did Tuesday's hero Steven Rodriguez.
Closer Austin Maddox (3-0), making his first appearance exactly three weeks since injuring his foot against Manhattan in the Gainesville regional, also labored, but he steadied in the ninth to record the win.
In the eighth, Fontana possibly saved UF's season when Vandy's Connor Harrell smoked a ball into the hole with the bases loaded and one out. The shortstop snared the low liner to preserve the tie.
Florida's pen combined for three innings, seven hits and two walks.
"We had nine outs to go with a three-run lead. We like our pen, but it didn't quite go the way we wanted it today," O'Sullivan said. "The bottom line is they needed to throw. They're going to need to contribute if we're going to win this thing."
Florida beat Vanderbilt 6-4 Friday to advance to its second-ever College World Series championship series. The Gators will play either Virginia or South Carolina starting Monday.
