Tennessee’s baseball team continues to make history this season, and their latest feat was a jaw-dropping 10-0 run-rule victory over No. 7 Florida on Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The top-ranked Volunteers, now 19-0, delivered a seventh-inning explosion that turned a tight 1-0 game into a stunning blowout, leaving fans in awe and the Gators searching for answers.
Marcus Phillips was the star on the mound, pitching a complete seven-inning game—his longest outing of the season. The 6-foot-4, 246-pound junior was nearly untouchable, allowing just five hits while striking out seven and walking only one. His ERA now sits at an impressive 0.82, and he credited his defense for backing him up all game long. “I had a lot of things working for me, but what was mainly working was our defense,” Phillips said. “They made some great plays, and that’s what made the difference.”
The game was a pitchers’ duel through six innings, with Tennessee clinging to a 1-0 lead thanks to Manny Marin’s RBI single in the second inning that scored Levi Clark. But everything changed in the bottom of the seventh. The Vols sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs to seal the win in dramatic fashion. Reese Chapman and Marin started the rally with back-to-back singles, and after a walk loaded the bases, Dean Curley cleared them with a clutch double down the left-field line. Hunter Ensley and Andrew Fischer followed with RBI singles, and Chapman capped it off with a walk-off three-run homer to right field, sending the crowd of 5,575 into a frenzy.
Tennessee’s defense also shined, with several highlight-reel plays. Jay Abernathy made a spectacular catch in left field, crashing into the wall in the second inning, and the Vols closed out the top of the seventh with a series of sharp defensive plays, including catcher Stone Lawless fielding a tricky slow roller and Gavin Kilen making a strong throw from the outfield grass.
Head coach Tony Vitello praised his team’s resilience and approach, especially in that explosive seventh inning. “If our guys take the right approach, you can only hold them down for so long,” Vitello said. “It was a unique inning, and the box score doesn’t really make sense, but it was a fun way to end the day.”
The Vols will look to complete the sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT, with the game streaming on SEC Network+. A win would not only extend their perfect start to 20-0 but also send a clear message to the rest of the SEC: this Tennessee team is for real.
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