Florida had already lost its weekend series against Tennessee, and early in Sunday’s Game 3, it appeared the team was heading toward a sweep. The Volunteers led 6-3 entering the seventh inning, and after cutting that lead to two runs, Kris Armstrong put UF on top with one swing of his bat. That three-run homer put the Gators in the lead for good as they held on for a 7-6 victory to end a nine-game SEC road losing streak that dated back to 2019.
Florida mounted an early threat against Tennessee pitcher Blade Tidwell in the first inning but stranded two runners on. In the second, Jordan Butler led off with a double, and a ground-rule double from Colby Halter brought him home to give the Gators the early lead. The Vols tied it at the bottom of the inning, though, after Hunter Barco walked a run home.
Florida retook the lead off a Jacob Young bomb in the fourth that also scored Josh Rivera, who reached base on a double to lead off the inning. But Barco’s struggles continued into the fourth. He gave up a double in which the runner reached third on a fielding error, and after a wild pitch walk, Tennessee scored a run. A throwing error on a single the next at-bat allowed the Volunteers to tie the game, and though Barco forced a groundout after that, it allowed UT to take the lead again.
Barco’s day came to an end after that. He allowed five hits and four runs (two earned) in his four innings of work. He also walked five batters. Ryan Cabarcas entered the game to spell him, but he didn’t fare much better. He forced a pop-out against his first batter, but he followed it up with a walk and then a home run to stretch the lead to 6-3. After a double on the next at-bat, he was pulled after just 15 pitches for Christian Scott, who got out of the inning.
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The Gators offense had struggled, but it finally got something going in the seventh. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch, they managed to cut the lead to two with a sacrifice groundout. The following inning, a single and a double put runners at second and third for Armstrong. He crushed a ball to right field on the 0-1 count and got it over the wall, snagging the lead for Florida in the process.
Tennessee fought to come back, but Scott was locked in. In 4.1 innings pitched, he didn’t give up a hit until the ninth inning. His six strikeouts ended any chance at a UT rally, and he secured his first win of the season while also moving his season ERA to 1.99. Though Florida fell short in the series, avoiding a sweep against the No. 6 team in the country is good news, especially in a shortened season where every game is all the more important.
The Gators are back in action on Tuesday night against when Florida State comes to town. Florida will look to avenge the 10-2 loss suffered at the hands of the Seminoles on March 16 when that one gets started at 7 p.m. EDT.
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