Times wires
Sunday, May 29, 2011
HOOVER, Ala. — Alex Panteliodis, a star at Tampa's Alonso High, pitched 51/3 innings in his first start against an SEC team to help Florida win the conference title 5-0 over Vanderbilt on Sunday.
Panteliodis, Greg Larson, Nick Maronde and Austin Maddox combined to allow nine hits as the Gators (45-16) won their first SEC tournament since 1991 and sixth overall. It was the first shutout in a final since Vanderbilt beat Auburn 13-0 in 1980.
"It all started on the mound for us, and Alex did a great job," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "If we had to go to the bullpen early in the game, we were probably going to find ourselves in some trouble."
Facing a team that entered scoring an SEC-high 6.9 runs per game, Panteliodis allowed five hits and one walk and struck out five.
"I got in some jams, but the team helped me through it," the junior lefty said. "(O'Sullivan) told me to take my time and make the pitches and if they hit it to let them hit it and let the defense do its job."
The Commodores, who have been in the final four of the past six years but won just once, went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position before Riley Reynolds' two-out single in the ninth.
More Florida: Pitcher Brian Johnson, who sustained a concussion Saturday when hit in the head by a ball thrown by catcher Mike Zunino, was in the dugout Sunday. The sophomore, who went to a nearby hospital for tests that showed no fractures, bruises or bleeding, had a big bump on the back of his head. He is day to day.
FSU falls: Tournament MVP Steven Proscia hit a tiebreaking three-run homer to lead Virginia past Florida State 7-2 in the ACC final in Durham, N.C. Hunter Scantling retired 12 in a row for the Seminoles (42-17), then hit John Barr with two outs in the sixth. John Hicks singled, and Proscia homered over the 32-foot leftfield wall 305 feet away. The Cavs' three titles have come in Durham, beating the Seminoles in the final each time. "We ain't had no luck up here," FSU coach Mike Martin said. "But we'll be back if we're invited."
Big East: Working on three days' rest, Joe DiRocco allowed one run and six hits over six innings to lift Seton Hall past St. John's 4-2 in the final at Clearwater's Bright House Field. DiRocco was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, going 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA.
Softball: Florida will open the double-elimination World Series in Oklahoma City against Missouri at 9:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2). The Gators (52-10) advanced Saturday by completing a two-game sweep of Oregon in the Super Regional. Missouri (52-8) swept Washington. Thursday's other matchups: Cal-Alabama, Baylor-Oklahoma State and Oklahoma-Arizona State.
Women's tennis: After splitting the first two sets of her semifinal against Stanford's Stacey Tan in Stanford, Calif., Florida's Lauren Embree retired because of blisters on her feet.
Men's tennis: Florida's Sekou Bangoura and Alexandre Lacroix lost 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to Stanford's Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher in the semifinals in Stanford, Calif.
Women's lacrosse: Shannon Smith scored four goals, including the winner with 4:36 left, to lift Northwestern past Maryland 8-7 in the national title game in Stony Brook, N.Y. It's the sixth title in seven seasons for the Wildcats. The Terps beat them 13-11 in last season's final.