Just when you thought it was safe to expect a victory, things got very interesting late in Florida's College World Series showdown with Vanderbilt. An 8th inning RBI single by Preston Tucker broke a 4-4 tie in the 8th, and the Gators hung on for a 6-4 win, advancing to the championship series Monday night, but it wasn't without a few heart-stopping moments.
The Gators led 4-1 in the seventh inning, when a trio of Gator relievers could not seem to find the strike zone. Tommy Toledo and Nick Maronde combined to allow 2 Commodore runs in the inning before Greg Larson stopped the rally with a pop fly out. After Steven Rodriguez failed to get a second out in the top of the 8th, Austin Maddox made his first appearance in a game since June 3rd, and walked in the game-tying run. But Maddox stayed in the game, got the next batters out, and Tucker came through with his bases-loaded single in the bottom of the inning.
With the win, the Gators advance to their first World Series final since 2005. Game one of the championship series begins Monday at 7 p.m.