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A trio of Florida home runs wasn’t enough to knock off No. 6 Tennessee in the series opener on Friday as the Gators fell 6-4.

The Gators went down especially quiet in the ninth inning as the three hitter (Jud Fabian, Jordan Butler, Kris Armstrong) combined to see just four pitches while being set down in order.

How It Happened:

Tennessee got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third when Liam Spence singled up the middle on Tommy Mace that scored Logan Steenstra.

Florida, however, rebounded right away in the fourth with back-to-back solo homers from Nathan Hickey and Kirby McMullen.

A two-run double by Tennessee’s Evan Russell put the Vols ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the frame.

Tennessee added a run in the fifth on a RBI single by Drew Gilbert to make it a 4-2 game.

Florida got a pair of runs in the top of the seventh as Fabian homered to right center on the first pitch of the at-bat. Colby Halter followed just a few batters later with a single that plated Butler to tie the game.

Tennessee responded in the bottom of the seventh with a J_ Rucker sacrifice fly, then added insurance in the eighth with a Russell homer.

Mace gave up four runs over six innings and threw 105 pitches. Christian Scott (0-2) tossed the final two innings and picked up the loss.

“It was a tough loss, but we have to, obviously, come back tomorrow.” – Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan

Pitching Decision:

• W: Chad Dallas (5-0)
• L: Christian Scott (0-2)
• S: Sean Hunley (4)

Individual Stats:

• Halter: 2-3, RBI
• Hickey, McMullen, Fabian: 1-4, HR, RBI each
• Mace: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 6 K, BB
• Scott: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 0 BB

On Deck:

The two teams will meet again on Saturday for game two of the three game series. Florida has not announced who will be starting on the mound as Jack Leftwich has struggled over his last few outings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM.