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Four Quick Takes: No.2 Tennessee downs No.7 Florida to clinch first SEC Series

4A3DA472-0F39-4C89-9987-5851509375C0by:Matt Ray•03/15/25•

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Tennessee Baseball

For the better part of seven innings, game two of the top-ten matchup between Tennessee and Florida was a defensive struggle. Tennessee found plenty of life in the seventh inning, as they posted nine runs in the bottom half and hit a walk-off run-rule home run to down the Gators 10-0, and Volquest breaks down the series-clinching victory with four quick takes.

Marcus Phillips Shines in Debut as SEC Starter for Tennessee

The starting pitching for both sides was excellent in game two of this series. Florida’s True Freshman Aidan King was stellar, but he was not as good as Tennessee’s starter on Saturday afternoon. Marcus Phillips got his first action as a weekend starter for the Vols in SEC play, and he delivered in a big way. Phillips went for over 100 pitches and seven innings of work. He allowed just five hits and no runs while striking out seven batters along the way.

Today’s outing has to be more than an encouraging sign for the Vols’ weekend rotation, with Liam Doyle already pacing the way on Fridays.

Phillips did not miss often today, but when he did, he seemed to always miss in the right spot. The Gators were never able to find an answer for him in the early defensive struggle.

Tennessee’s Freshmen Start Fast Again

In the bottom of the 2nd, Levi Clark hammered a double down the right field line, and then Tennessee used a sac bunt to move him up to 3rd base.

Fellow Freshman Manny Marin quickly drove him in to score a crucial early-inning run.

Jay Abernathy led the way defensively for the Vols early on. The Gators pushed to get a run across in the top of the first on a single into left field, but Abernathy gunned the Gators’ baserunner down at the plate.

The following inning, Abernathy tracked a ball back and into the wall and held on through contact to make the catch to end the inning.

Overall, Tennessee’s freshmen delivered in Game 2 of this series and reminded everyone yet again of why they are such a coveted group.

Small Ball Wins Ball Games

Tennessee can knock it around the ballpark with the best of them. They have been able to do that for the last several years, and it is no secret. It was very clear that Tennessee’s coaching staff knew this was going to be a back-and-forth battle all day long, and they showed as much by opting for a sac bunt in the second inning.

Tennessee went back to the sac bunt later in the game with Abernathy to get a runner-in-scoring position. While they were not able to get that run across, the willingness to show this helped them later in the game.

Stone Lawless flashed a sac bunt that made the Gators’ third baseman move up just enough for Reese Chapman to be able to take third and put runners at the corner. Tennessee then had Manny Marin move up, then loaded the bases with a walk of Jay Abernathy.

Then, Dean Curley cleared the bases and broke the game up with a three-RBI double in the bottom of the seventh.

Stone Lawless Delivers Behind the Dish

Today was a key opportunity for the redshirt Freshman behind the dish, and he did not disappoint. He looked in total control in this top-ten matchup, and he halted the Gators on the base paths in this one on multiple occasions.

This was another encouraging sign for the Vols in game two of this series, as they continue to show plenty of promise across this younger lineup.

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