Tennessee baseball completed its sweep over Florida, winning, 7-4.
The No. 2 Vols (20-0, 3-0 SEC) remain undefeated and have now won their last 10 SEC series. No. 6 Florida (16-5, 0-3) struggled offensively against Tennessee, crossing home only seven times this weekend.
Tennessee’s 20-0 start is also the best by a defending national champion in history.
Right-hander Tegan Kuhns got the nod for Tennessee on the mound. He started his outing on the right note, forcing a popup to left field and striking out the next two batters.
The Vols weren’t any better offensively in the first, going three up, three down. Two grounders and a strikeout ended the first inning without any action.
The first hit came early in the second inning. Florida hit a single into right field but couldn’t make anything of it. Two groundouts and a strikeout left the runner stranded on second base after a successful steal.
The bottom of the third saw the first batter reach base for Tennessee. Andrew Fischer hit a grounder into the first baseman, who couldn’t corral the ball. Shortly after, Levi Clark struck the ball to third base, setting up a double play for the Gators. A strikeout ended the inning for Tennessee as the score remained 0-0.
The best contact in the game came from Florida. The Gators sent a ball into deep center field, but the wind stopped the ball short of the fence. After a Jay Abernathy grab in shallow left field, Kuhns saw his day end.
He finished with 2.2 innings of work, throwing 33 pitches for 3 strikeouts and a hit. The Vols replaced him with Brandon Arvidson, but catcher Stone Lawless caught a runner stealing second base to end the inning.
Tennessee managed a run in the bottom of the third, scoring first in every game this series. Abernathy singled through the right side and was brought to third by a Lawless single. Dean Curley brought him home, grounding into third to cash the first run of the day. The inning ended after another groundout, but the Vols led 1-0 heading into the fourth frame.
Pandemonium broke out in the fourth inning.
Back-to-back defensive breakdowns got two on base for the Gators. With two on, Arvidson walked the next batter, leading to a pitching change for Tennessee. Tennessee put Tanner Franklin on the rubber, where he allowed four runs. The Gators led for the first time in the series, exiting the fourth with a 4-1 lead over the Vols.
The bottom of the frame saw Tennessee’s quick response. After a hit-by-pitch and a walk, the Vols had two on base with no outs. The Gators pulled Clemente, subbing him out for right-hander Billy Barlow. Barlow walked Dalton Bargo, leading to loaded bases for Tennessee. Reese Chapman was up next, and he also walked, cashing in a run for the Vols. Manny Marin and Abernathy both put the ball down in the infield, leading to all three outs to end the inning with only one run.
Dylan Loy took the mound for Tennessee in the fifth frame, replacing Franklin. He allowed a single but struck out two as the inning ended.
The first home run of the day came from Gavin Kilen. With two outs, he ripped a ball into right field, clearing the fence with no problem. Ensley nearly followed suit, launching a ball to right field. The fielder was unable to put the squeeze on it, so he made it to second base. Fischer couldn’t advance him, striking out the next at-bat.
Cannon Peebles got the nod behind the dish for the Vols, replacing Lawless. Loy quickly ended the inning, striking out two batters in the process.
“Every time we come to a game I’m ready to go out there,” Loy said. “Number called or not, I was ready.”
Tennessee got back out on top in the bottom of the sixth frame. After two quick outs, Marin and Abernathy walked. Peebles instantly made his impact in the lineup, lacing a ball to right field to bring in both runners, giving Tennessee a 5-4 lead. He was stranded on second as Curley struck out to end the frame.
The top of the seventh went quickly, with Loy accumulating three outs in 12 pitches. One Gator made it on base off a hit-by-pitch, but Tennessee’s defense left him stranded.
“He’s been approaching every day, getting better,” Peebles said. “At the beginning of the season, coming back from winter break, he had a minor injury. He’s just stayed the course and does what he does, just pounding the zone.”
Not much happened for Tennessee in the bottom of the seventh, going down in two flyouts and a ground ball.
The eighth frame saw players in different positions. Loy was rotated out for right-hander Nate Snead, Curley took over first base and Ariel Antigua got time at shortstop. Snead mowed down Florida, throwing 10 pitches for three outs in the top of the eighth.
Dalton Bargo’s shot to right-center took a hop and went over the fence, resulting in a ground-rule double. Chapman left Lindsey Nelson Stadium again, launching his second home run of the weekend into left-center field, extending the lead to three. Florida picked up three outs in four at-bats, ending the inning.
The Gators needed three runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, a feat they could not accomplish. Snead walked the first batter and allowed a single, giving Florida two on the bags with no outs. The next at-bat resulted in a rip to the right field warning track, which could’ve tied the game. It was fielded by Chapman for the Gators’ first out with runners on the corners. Snead took the shaky start of the inning personally, striking out the last two batters in seven pitches to end the game.
“It’s huge and I think he’s (Snead) is too valuable to name our starter,” head coach Tony Vitello said. “That’s what he was this weekend because of the way the situations popped up, but the only reason he was able to do that is because he was efficient with his pitches.”
