Though Tennessee trailed through the first four innings, Hunter Ensley’s seven RBIs were a catalyst for a more familiar looking offensive outing from the Vols, with an 11-run 6th inning putting the UT in position for 16-3, run-rule win to secure the series dub.
Zander Sechrist got the start for TN, and gave up two runs in the first, stemming from a a lead-off double followed by a one-out, two-run home run from Florida’s three-hole hitter Ty Evans. Sechrist got the next two batters out on four pitches to end the innings, but the Gators took an early, 2-0 lead.
Vitello subbed out Sechrist going into the third, even after he sat the UF batters down in order in the home half of the second, calling on inning-eater Nate Snead in the third. Snead got two outs to start the half inning, but Jac Caglianone took a 2-2 pitch back up the middle for a single, and then Ty Evans hit a hot shot to Billy Amick at third, who airmailed the play to first, and allowed Caglianone to score from first. A second Tennessee error gave Florid another runner to reach first and put Evans 90 feet from home. But Snead got a pop-up out on an 0-2 pitch to limit the damage to just one run and left the inning with UF still ahead 3-0.
Tennessee had a baserunner in each of the first three innings, but stranded them in the first and third and hit into double play in the second to erase the man who may have scored or may have been stranded, too. UF starter Caglianone kept the Vols scoreless through 3.2 innings, until the T4 when he offered a four-pitch walk to Dean Curley, and followed that by giving up Ensley’s first, two-run double of the day that put the Vols on the board:
Heck of an AB from Hunter ends with a two-run double!!
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After Snead allowed an unearned run in the third, he leaned on his heater, hit triple digits multiple times and showed some two-seam movement when he took a little something off it. The former Wichita State transfer pitched the final five innings of the game. His final line: 1 W, 5 IP, 1 R 0 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks to the 21 batters he faced. He hit one batter, but he sat the Gators down in order in the fourth and in the seventh, then struck out two batters in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Third strikeout of the night for Snead to end the fifth!
KT, Dylan and Dean coming to bat in the sixth.
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Sechrist and Snead combined for 100 pitches, 67 of which went for strikes.
Tennessee’s offense just blew up the UF bullpen. Caglianone tossed 5 IP, gave up 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB and 5 Ks. He got charged with the two runs from Ensley’s double in the fourth and then got tagged for the two runs that started the sixth-inning run for the Vols. Caglianone surrendered a full-count, lead-off walk to Kavares Tears to start the T6 and gave up a double to the next batter, Dylan Dreilling, that advanced Tears to third.
UF’s Kevin O’Sullivan pulled Caglianone, even though this was just the third time this year this season his two-way star walked fewer than three batters in an outing. Reliever Ryan Slater came into the game, and immediately surrendered a single to Dean Curley that scored a run and tied the game.
Tie ballgame as Dean delivers with an RBI single!
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Ensley followed with his second, two-run double of the game.
FOR THE HATERS!
Second two-run double of the day for Ensley and the Vols lead!
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Tennessee ended up plating 11 runs on six hits in the innings off two UF relievers in Slater and Cade Fisher. Slater was taken out after the Ensley double, but Fisher struck the first batter he saw before hitting Cal Stark, giving up a single to Christian Moore, a full-count, run-scoring walk to Blake Burke and a sac fly to Billy Amick.
With one out, Tears struck out but reached first on an error that also allowed Moore to cross home.
Not exactly how we drew it up but we’ll happily take it!
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Dreiling drew a two-out walk, Curley hit his second run-scoring base hit and Ensley hit a three-run home run to cap off the scoring for the sixth.
BOOOOM! Have a freaking day Hunter!!!
Career high seven RBIs!
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Moore and Blake Burke went deep back-to-back in the T7, which gave Tennessee home runs three and four for the series, after Buke and Amick left the yard in yesterday’s loss in the second game of the double header.
Cal Stark set up Cmo’s two-run dinger with a leadoff single, and Moore took an inside pitch and lifted a 92-MPH, high fast ball over the fence in right field for his 21st long ball of the year.
No. 21 on the year for C-Mo!!
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Next, Burke once again displayed the power in his bat with his 15th HR of the year when he crushed a ball to the opposite field 427 feet outta the park in left. This ball left the yard at 108 MPH.
Back to back bombs baby!
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 5, 2024
With the run rule in effect, Florida got a chance to get within 10 runs in the B7 to extend the game, but Snead shut it down with relative ease.
This was a good game for Vol fans, with the chatter of the bats being quieter than usual was left in the dust, for now. With the 16 runs scored, the offense tied the offensive output from the second two games of the Missouri series and the first two games of this series. Tennessee’s pitching also kept Caglianone in the park for the three games of the weekend, which is significant considering the UF junior entered the series in second place nationally with 26 home runs.
UT plays its midweek game against Queens at 7PM EST Tuesday before going to Nashville for a weekend series with Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 32-15 overall, 26-5 at home but just 11-12 in SEC play, pending numbers being adjusted to account for today’s final scores.