Shelnut belts 3-run homer to put Florida over Vanderbilt

Florida didn’t get the series win it wanted in Nashville this weekend, but at least the Gators left Vanderbilt with a win on Saturday.

Things didn’t go the way Florida wanted this weekend, but the Gators didn’t left Nashville with the last laugh, beating the Vanderbilt Commodores, 6-2, on Saturday.

Tyler Shelnut’s three-run home run in the fifth turned the momentum Florida’s way, and he added two more to the tally with a two-run double in the ninth.

Before Shelnut got going, Florida struggled to hit Vanderbilt starter JD Thompson, but a fourth-inning ejection shifted the momentum in UF’s favor.

Florida’s dugout argued that Thompson was going to his arm, with the thought being that foreign substance was in play. The umpires conferred and ejected Thompson just after a Cade Kurland double put the first Florida run of the day on the board.

Colby Shelton also had two hits for Florida’s offense. Jac Caglianone’s home run streak ended at nine, which is good for a share of the NCAA record for consecutive games with a homer.

Caglianone went five innings on the mound. He gave up two earned runs on six hits and three walks while fanning five. The command wasn’t quite there like it was earlier in the year, but he still threw 60 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

Cade Fisher took over for Caglianone, but thing went bad fast. He walked two batters and hit another, forcing Kevin O’Sullivan to give him the hook before he got through an inning.

Fisher Jameson was dominant the rest of the way, though. He struck out six of the 11 batters he faced and allowed just one hit. Efficient.

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