Florida’s 4 homers delivers series win, Gators looking to sweep on Sunday

After getting swept by Tennessee at home a year ago, Florida has a chance to return the favor in Knoxville. The Gators claimed the second game of the series on Friday, 9-3.

The Florida Gators jumped all over the Tennessee Volunteers for the second night in a row and delivered a dominant 9-3 win to win the series.

Florida started scoring right out of the game, mostly thanks to a wild start from Tennessee starter Chase Burns, who is projected as a first-round prospect in the 2024 draft cycle. Burns walked [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] with the bases loaded to score [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] for the first run of the day.

[autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag] got the start at designated hitter for the Gators and came up big with a four-RBI night. His first base knock of the night was a ground-rule double to left-center that scored two more. He’d homer in the fifth with a man on to cap off a terrific start, and there’s good reason to believe that Prevesk will contend for a starting outfield spot next season with [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] moving on.

Florida hit three more homers throughout the night. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] delivered a shot to right-center in the second and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] and Langford went back-to-back in the fourth. Langford’s cleared the wall in right-center just fine, but Caglianone’s was a no-doubter that went a projected 488 feet.

Florida’s bats quieted down after the fourth, much like in Game 1, which means that Tennessee’s bullpen has something figured out the starting rotation does not.

Fortunately, [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] was absolutely dealing for UF. He gave up three runs over seven innings of work and struck out nine while walking just the two in the seventh. Florida needed [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and Waldrep to both be on this weekend to take the series against Tennessee, and the duo did more than deliver.

Florida used lefty [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] to get through the eighth and ninth. He struck out the side in his first inning of work and added two more before closing out the game.

The Gators will go for their first sweep of the Volunteers since 2011 and the first in Knoxville since 1992. Caglianone is set to pitch for Florida.

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