University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Florida
Vols Defeated in Series Finale at UF, 9-4
March 15, 2015 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In the series finale against No. 3 Florida, the Tennessee Volunteers (8-8) were defeated in a 9-4 decision at McKethan Stadium.
Tennessee's offense combined for seven hits on Florida's pitching staff, including two solo home runs from second baseman Nick Senzel and left fielder Christin Stewart. Senzel's longball evened the score early at 1-1 in the second and marked the first extra-base hit allowed of the season for Gators starter Dane Dunning, while Stewart's homer was his team-leading fifth of the year.
"I hope we get on the bus for our long ride back to Knoxville and think about what we saw over the last two days," Head Coach Dave Serrano said. "It was a team that is talented and they deserve every recognition they get but they're a team that does a lot of things right. They take advantage of your opportunities, they throw strikes, they play pretty phenomenal defense and they make you pay when you elevate the baseball.
"I hope we can take what we watched this weekend and become a better baseball team. We're falling short in some areas and that is what's hurting us. Today it was about us having the opportunity to come in here and win a series. I felt like our energy level was down, for whatever reason, and we got down and it's like we're fighting for our lives and not just trying to chip away at it."
Tennessee and Florida traded solo homers in the first and second innings, with Senzel cranking a ball into the left field stands. Back-to-back walks granted to first baseman Nathaniel Maggio and designated hitter Andrew Lee put runners on with no outs but Florida's defense battled back to stifle the rally. Maggio was picked off at second and third baseman Brett Langhorne grounded out to second. Catcher Benito Santiago walked to put runners back on first and second with two outs until center fielder Brodie Leftridge hit a bouncer to third, ending the rally on a force-out tag.
After pushing across one run in the second, the Gators came back to plate four runs in the third and extended their lead to 6-1, with the help of a three-RBI triple from Florida center fielder Buddy Reed. Another run scored in the fifth for UF before Stewart came in to hit a solo home run over the right field wall, the first earned run allowed of the year for UF's lefty Danny Young.
Tennessee attempted to rally late in the game, as Jordan Rodgers entered the game for Langhorne and came around to score on an RBI-single from right fielder Vincent Jackson, making it a 9-4 game. Florida defense stood its ground through the remainder of the top of the ninth and held the Vols to secure the win.
Righthander Kyle Serrano went 2.2 innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits in the start. Righty Hunter Martin entered in relief of Serrano in the third, while the Vols also saw relief performances from Andy Cox and Jacob Westphal in the contest. Westphal, a true freshman, threw 2.0 scoreless inning of relief for the Vols, allowing just one hit to Florida's lineup.
"A positive that sticks out in my mind is a young man named Jake Westphal," Serrano said. "Pitching as a freshman and his first SEC series, he went in and pitched like a veteran. The good thing for him and what he ended up doing was moving up the ladder. That's what happens when you're given opportunities and you've passed up some guys working out of the bullpen who have been given chances and aren't getting the job done like they should. That's what being competitive is. With competitive competition within, he went out there and did it."
Tennessee returns to Knoxville this week and looks to host Austin Peay State on Tuesday, March 17 for a 6 p.m. ET contest. The Vols then welcome the Georgia Bulldogs for a three-game home weekend series of SEC Baseball at Lindsey Nelson Stadium (March 20-22).
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee Baseball, visit www.UTSports.com/baseball and be sure to follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.
