No. 1 Gator Baseball Captures Series Finale Over No. 7 Vanderbilt, 10-6.

The Florida Gator baseball team proved resilient in the number one spot with their 10-6 series-clinching win over No. 7 Vanderbilt on Sunday afternoon.

The Gators wasted no time getting on the board as freshman Jonathan India (2-for-5, R, RBI) and sophomore JJ Schwarz (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI) started things off for the Gators with a pair of singles in the first. With two away, freshman Decan Liput (2-for 4, 2R, 3 RBI) stepped in to plate the first three runs of the game with a three-run homer over the right field wall, for just his third home run of the season. Liput says it was nice to get on the board early in such a tough match up.

Deacon Liput provided the spark early with a 3-run bomb to get the #Gators on the board. pic.twitter.com/HbqFE4wPIp

— Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 15, 2016

Vanderbilt kept things interesting with a four-run third inning, with the most damage coming off Bryan Reynolds three-run blast to left field, totaling 11 homers on the season. Florida’s bats proved to be red hot, as they responded with three more runs in the bottom half of the inning with a trio of hits to take a 6-4 lead. Vanderbilt tied things up in the fourth, but the Gator’s red hot bats continued to shine into the fifth, responding with another pair of runs to give them an 8-6 lead.

Sophomore Alex Faedo had another strong outing on the mound for the Gators while responding well to a rough third inning, recording eight strikeouts over six innings pitched. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan believes there’s a lot of good to take away from Faedo’s performance.

Junior Dane Dunning came in for two scoreless innings of relief, before handing over the reins to Florida’s go to closer in Shaun Anderson.

The Gators tacked on another pair of runs in the eighth to wrap up their 10-6 victory over Vanderbilt.

Jonathan India with the finisher, a RBI single in the 8th to give the #Gators a 10-6 lead. pic.twitter.com/k41uQ4ErSa

— Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 15, 2016

The win proved to be a total team effort, as eight of nine Florida starters registered RBIs and at least one hit. The Gator’s RBI total on the year is now at 292, with 33% coming with two outs.

Next up, the Gators will travel to face LSU in a three-game series beginning on Thursday night.