Tennessee baseball takes the first SEC series of the season with a 10-0 win over Florida. The Gators are the No. 6 team in the country but have been no match for the Vols through the series' first two games.
The offense was quiet for the first six innings, with the Vols only putting up one run before exploding in the seventh inning. Tennessee put up nine runs in the seventh, run-ruling Florida and clinching the series.
Tennessee went six-for-seven at the plate in the seventh, including one home run, two doubles, and two walks to go with their nine runs as the Vols batted around to close out the game.
Despite the slow start, Tennessee's explosive seventh inning proves there is no keeping the Vols down at the plate, even if your starter only allows one earned run.
While the Vols' bats highlight many of Tennessee's wins, Marcus Phillips was stellar on the mound, and the defense behind him showed up as well. Phillips pitched all 7 innings, allowed five hits, and recorded seven strikeouts in his shortened appearance.
Freshman outfielder Jay Abernathy, Stone Lawless, and Gavin Kilen all recorded some gems in the field to help Tennessee shut out Florida's bats.
The pitching and defensive performance shut out the Gators for the first time in SEC play since April 2022, when the Vols did it in Gainesville with a 3-0 win.
Tennessee's win continues to prove that the Vols are the undisputed No. 1 team in the country. The Vols have faced their first SEC challenge and have dominated through two games, outscoring Florida 15-3 in the first two games of the series.
The Vols improve to 19-0 on the year, while Florida drops to 16-4 with Sunday's game remaining. Tennessee will look to sweep Florida on Sunday afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM ET.