Florida cruised past the Volunteers in Thursday night’s series opener, defeating Tennessee 6-1 inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Gators improve to 26-5 (8-2 SEC) while holding a perfect 7-0 record on the road.
Michael Robertson got the scoring started for the Gators in the second inning by bringing home Cade Kurland on an infield single to shortstop. The base knock marks the 28th straight game Robertson has reached base (every game of his UF career).
Tennessee’s Blake Burke smashed a solo home run to dead center in the bottom half of the second to knot the game at one.
Two frames later, Freshman Cade Kurland would blast his ninth home run of the season, giving Florida a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. Kevin O’Sullivan dropped Kurland to sixth in the lineup after going 1-16 at the plate against Auburn. Removing the pressure of the leadoff spot did Kurland wonders today as he logged two hits and scored two runs.
The Gators struck for four runs in the top of the fifth after back-to-back home runs off the bat of Josh Rivera and BT Riopelle.
All three of Florida’s home runs were to the opposite field, which has been their approach for the entire 2023 season.
Florida’s starter Brandon Sproat was nothing short of spectacular, tossing 5.2 innings while allowing one run on four hits and four walks. The hard throwing right hander struck out nine Volunteer’s in the contest. Sproat earned the victory, improving to 5-1 on the season. The Pace native has lost one decision in his last 14 starts.
LHP Philip Abner took over for the Gators in the sixth, getting Florida out of a bases loaded jam before cruising through the seventh and the eighth. Abner completed 2.1 innings of scoreless work, allowing two hits while striking out six batters. The southpaw has been the best reliever in the Gators’ bullpen throughout 2023, and he will continue to play a major role moving forward.
Florida’s closer, Brandon Neely, ran into some trouble in the ninth, but ultimately made the pitches he needed to seal the victory for the Gators.
Florida improved to 8-2 to open SEC play and is now 21-7 across the last 28 games against SEC opponents dating back to 2022.
The Gators snapped their five-game losing streak against the Vols and will look to win the series tomorrow at 7:00 PM.