No matter what happens over the next three days of the 2023 SEC Tournament, Florida catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] will make the All-Tournament team.
If Riopelle’s three-run, walk-off home run against Alabama on Wednesday wasn’t enough, he hit a solo shot and a go-ahead grand slam to put Florida into the tournament semifinals on Thursday. The Orange and Blue won, 6-3.
“There were more Gator fans here than Vandy fans here tonight, so that kind of helped,” Riopelle said. “I’m just seeing the ball well. We’re seeing it well as a team right now. We could have done a little better tonight, but they had a bunch of really good dudes on the mound and we took advantage when it mattered.”
So far, only Florida and Arkansas have punched their tickets to the semifinals. LSU and Texas A&M will battle for the third spot, and Alabama and Vanderbilt will go at it for the final one.
Brandon Sproat got the start for the Gators in this one and went six innings, giving up just two earned runs. Enrique Bradfield Jr. started the game off with a triple and scored, but Sproat kept Vanderbilt quiet until the fifth. Jameson Fisher, Ryan Slater and Phillip Abner all pitched in relief, with Slater picking up the win and Abner the save.
Luke Heyman homered in the bottom of the first to tie the game up early and keep the momentum balanced.
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