Late Rally Sends Tennessee Past Florida 7-4, Gators Swept in SEC Opener

No. 7 Florida dropped the series finale to No. 2 Tennessee on Sunday, falling 7-4 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Despite leading for several innings, the Gators (16-5) couldn't hold on, as the Volunteers (20-0) rallied late for the victory.

As with the first two games of the series, the early innings were dominated by pitchers' duels, with both teams trading scoreless frames through the first two innings.

Brendan Lawson reached base with a single and stole second in the second inning, but he was stranded.

Florida's starter Jake Clemente was solid, facing the minimum through two innings, striking out two and using a double play to erase a baserunner in the second.

Tennessee opened the scoring in the third inning, taking a 1-0 lead when Jay Abernathy came home on a groundout by Dean Curley after reaching on a single.

The Gators responded with a strong fourth inning, plating four runs to take a 4-1 lead.

Ty Evans delivered the big blow, a two-run double down the left-field line with the bases loaded, followed by a fielder's choice from Luke Heyman that scored Lawson and allowed Evans to come home.

Tennessee threatened in the fourth after the first two batters reached base, but Florida's reliever Billy Barlow came in and limited the damage.

He gave up a bases-loaded walk to Reese Chapman that forced in a run but got out of the jam with a groundout and double play.

The Gators couldn't extend their lead, stranding a runner in the fifth, and Tennessee cut the lead to one in the bottom of the inning.

Gavin Kilen homered to right field with two outs to make it 4-3.

The Volunteers capitalized on walks in the sixth to take the lead.

After two quick outs, Barlow walked two batters, setting the stage for Cannon Peebles, who delivered a go-ahead two-run double to give Tennessee a 5-4 lead.

Closer Alex Philpott came in to finish the inning, striking out Curley to record the final out and pitching a scoreless seventh to hold the score.

Tennessee added two more runs in the eighth with a two-run homer from Reese Chapman, pushing the score to 7-4.

Reliever Dylan Loy (3-0) earned the win, pitching three shutout innings with one hit allowed and five strikeouts.

Barlow (1-1) took the loss after giving up three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, four walks, and striking out one.

Clemente didn’t factor into the decision after pitching three-plus innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits, one walk, and one hit batter while striking out three.

Florida’s Colby Shelton extended his on-base streak to 21 games, going 1-for-4 with one run scored.

Florida pitchers have accumulated a 237-to-64 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 21 games.

The Gators were swept by Tennessee to open SEC play, marking their first sweep in an SEC opening weekend since 2017.

Florida’s all-time record against Tennessee now stands at 157-100, including 69-52 in Knoxville.

The Gators are 27-26 overall and 14-13 on the road against the Volunteers under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan.

Florida will look to bounce back with midweek games against Jacksonville on Tuesday and Florida A&M on Wednesday, both scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.