Florida baseball collapses in run-rule loss to Tennessee Volunteers
Florida and Tennessee battled through six innings in another pitchers' duel, but a disaster of a seventh inning led to a 10-0 final score in favor of the Volunteers.
Tennessee claims the series with the win and it's a big blow to a Florida team that had the talent to come in and take two of three in the first conference matchup of the year. It's also a disappointing end to a gem of an outing from freshman right-hander Aidan King, who took the loss despite giving up just one run and delivering a quality start.
Florida's offense hasn't been able to figure out Tennessee's pitching staff this weekend, and a couple of bad mistakes from the coaching staff isn't helping. There's also some question as to how even the strike zone has been, but that doesn't explain a nine-run inning and should be worked around by the Florida arms.
Wasting King's SEC debut
Aidan King was masterful in his first SEC start, giving up just one run on four hits, a walk and a hit batter. King struck out six over as many innings, mostly with his fastball, which is his best and most mature pitch in terms of control and location. He's going to be a weekend arm for the next three seasons and has top-10 draft potential assuming he stays healthy.
The rest of the Gators pitching staff was not as good. Jackson Barberi was first out of the bullpen and the only Gators pitcher to record an out in the seventh — a strikeout with men on the corners. At that point, there was still hope for the Gators to salvage the inning and come back over the next two frames, but things unraveled after Barberi walked the bases loaded.
Dean Curley cleared the bases on a double down the third-base line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Barberi went up 0-2 on the next batter and walked him on four straight pitches to bring Kevin O'Sullivan out signaling to the bullpen.
Matthew Jenkins was next, and the Sante Fe transfer did not last long. He gave up an RBI single to Hunter Ensley and a wild pitch brought Sully back out. Redshirt freshman Caden McDonald got the call, inheriting two runners in scoring position. Andrew Fischer singled both men in, Dalton Bargo doubled to right and Reese Chapman walked it off with a three-run homer to right field. Disaster.
Tennessee's got arms
Tennessee starter Marcus Phillips was perhaps even better than King, running his fastball up to 100 mph in the first inning and striking out seven over as many innings while allowing zero free bases. Florida did a good job of eating away at his pitch count in the first inning, but Phillips settled in after that and worked efficiently through the Gators lineup nearly three times.
Phillips got some help in the first two innings from his left fielder, Jay Abernathy, who threw out Colby Shelton at home in the first and made a leaping catch at the wall in the second. Shelton was dead to rights on the throw and got caught stealing second later on in the game. It's safe to say that Florida tried to create runs against a dominant No. 2 starter, but both calls were regrettable in hindsight, killing potential rallies and keeping Phillips' pitch count lower than it should have been. Brody Donay also got caught trying to steal second in the seventh inning, which ended up being Florida's last out of the game.
The coaching staff doesn't deserve too much criticism, though, as Florida only reached safely five times against Phillips and an executed steal can change the course of a 1-0 game.
Florida needs to win on Sunday
A sweep at the hands of the reigning national champions and only undefeated team left in the sport shouldn't be damning for Florida this early in the season, but there's still some sense of Sunday's matchup being a must-win game. Losing three in a row in heartbreaking fashion can derail a team, and SEC play has only just begun.
Florida isn't at full strength either, missing its two top lefties (Pierce Coppola and Frank Menendez) and two mainstays in the lineup (Cade Kurland and Justin Nadeau). Throwing three freshmen and a JUCO transfer in Game 2 of a big series isn't ideal, but King at least did his job. For the rest of these guys, their confidence is likely shaken and rightfully so. Getting a win before heading back to Gainesville could do wonders for the team's psyche.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators baseball run ruled by Tennessee
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