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BT Riopelle does it again: Florida catcher hits grand slam as part of 2 HR night to lift Gators over Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament
By Andrew Olson
Published:
BT Riopelle isn’t going to want to leave Hoover, Alabama. The Florida catcher has hit 3 home runs in 2 games of the SEC Tournament.
Riopelle has delivered the winning runs for Florida in each of its tournament games. After a walk-off 3-run homer in extra winnings Wednesday, Riopelle hit a grand slam on Thursday night to lift the Gators over Vanderbilt.
But first, Riopelle’s other homer. It was a 1-1 game in the bottom of the 4th inning when Riopelle hit a solo shot, his second homer of the tournament, to put UF up 2-1.
This is BT’s town.#GoGators // ? SEC Network pic.twitter.com/zRBa2K32j1
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 26, 2023
Vanderbilt tied it up 2-2 in the top of the 5th inning. It remained a 2-2 game until the 7th inning. Riopelle broke the tie with a grand slam, crushing the ball to the opposite field.
BT STANDS FOR BIG TIME ⌚#GoGators // ? SEC Network pic.twitter.com/YiZdiHuSaE
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 26, 2023
Florida pitching held on for a 6-3 win. UF starter Brandon Sproat went 6 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 7 hits while logging 6 strikeouts over 98 pitches. It was Ryan Slater in relief (1.1 IP, H, ER, 2 K) who recorded the win. Philip Abner picked up a save.
The Gators are off Friday, having secured a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
