The Florida Gators are in the College World Series finals, right where many people expected them to be all along.
Florida advanced with a 6-4 victory over Vanderbilt on Friday. Preston Tucker drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to offset a shaky bullpen that squandered a three-run lead.
Florida (53-17) will start play in the best-of-three finals Monday against SEC rival and defending champion South Carolina, a 3-2 winner against Virginia in 13 innings in Friday's second game.
The position isn't completely unexpected for Florida, which was ranked No. 1 in the preseason, won the Southeastern Conference tournament and lost back-to-back games only twice.
"You have to feel fortunate," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "You've got to have some breaks along the way. This is a long grind. This team, from Day 1, its goal was to set out to play for the national championship. That doesn't always come in the end, doesn't always work out that way. But they've been focused, and we're looking forward to it."
In the second game, closer Matt Price of South Carolina worked out of bases-loaded situations in the 10th, 12th and 13th innings.
Brady Thomas singled leading off the bottom of the 13th against Cody Winiarski. Adam Matthews came in to run and advanced when Winiarski threw wildly trying to get him at second on Peter Mooney's bunt.
Robert Beary followed with another bunt. Winiarski tried to throw out Matthews at third, but he threw the ball away, and the winning run scored.
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