KNOXVILLE, Tenn. On Friday, the Florida Gators went on the road to take on the Tennessee Volunteers to begin SEC play. The Volunteers won, 5-3.
Liam Doyle v. Liam Peterson
The starting pitcher battle lived up to the hype it was receiving entering this weekend. Both arms combined for 14 strikeouts on the night.
Liam Doyle threw an astonishing 105 pitches and struck out six Florida batters in his 4 and 2/3 innings of work. He gave up just one earned run, a home run by Florida left fielder Blake Cyr.
Liam Peterson struck out eight Tennessee batters. He ran into some trouble giving up hits, as he allowed six. Eventually, it would come back to bite him as Hunter Ensley delivered a two-run double for Tennessee to put the Vols out in front. Otherwise, it was a dominant night for Peterson.
Both pitchers delivered in what was set up to be the best pitching duel this college baseball season.
Tennessee Returning Batters Come Up Big with Scoring Plays
Tennessee finally created separation on the scoreboard from Florida in the fifth inning. Ensley came through with an RBI double that scored his teammates Dean Curley and Jay Abernathy.
Curley would get in on the hitting action in the sixth inning with a triple. This allowed him to score a run as Gavin Kilen got him home on a sac-fly.
Following these two plays by two experienced Tennessee players, the Volunteers turned a 1-1 game into a 5-3 lead heading into the seventh inning.
Nate Snead Puts Together a Multi-Inning Close to Win the Game
Nate Snead came on in relief and closed the game in the final 3 and 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts and was highly efficient with 27 strikes in 37 total pitches.
He also gave up only two hits and did not walk any Florida hitters in his second save of the season. His first save of the year came against Samford back on Feb. 22.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
(AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)
