Tennessee’s biggest inning in Southeastern Conference play this season delivered a seventh consecutive series victory for the Volunteers.
The No. 3 Vols trailed Florida 3-2 Saturday night in Gainesville before erupting for 11 runs in the sixth inning to take command in their eventual 16-3 trouncing of the Gators that was halted after seven innings. Redshirt junior center fielder Hunter Ensley led Tennessee’s offensive onslaught with seven RBIs, including five in the decisive inning.
“This was massive,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said. “We got into their bullpen, and it just started with a couple of really good swings. If you look at what we’ve done the last couple of weeks, it’s kind of been explosive and then a few games of frustration, so maybe it boiled over a little bit.”
Tennessee improved to 39-9 overall and to 17-7 in league play heading into its final two SEC series against Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Florida dropped to 24-23 and 10-14.
Ensley entered Saturday hitting .238 for the season and just 5-of-38 in his previous 12 appearances for a .132 clip. His four at-bats Saturday yielded two doubles and a home run.
“I love the way he competes and fights,” Vitello said. “He plays a tremendous center field for us and he’s a great baserunner, so you know you’re always going to get those things. When he hits, it’s icing on the cake. He has hit in some big, big moments, whether in Omaha last year in our opening game there or in the Kentucky series.
“You’re always going to get some fight out of him.”
A Ty Evans two-run homer to left field off Tennessee starter Zander Sechrist in the first inning put Florida up 2-0, and a throwing error by Vols third baseman Billy Amick in the third made it 3-0. The Vols got within 3-2 in the fourth on Ensley’s two-run double to left.
Tennessee’s big inning began with Dean Curley’s tying single up the middle and Ensley’s two-run double down the left-field line that gave the Vols their first lead of the night at 5-3. Blake Burke drew a bases-loaded walk, Amick hit a sacrifice fly to left-center, and Curley had an RBI single to left before Ensley launched a three-run homer to right for a 13-3 advantage.
Christian Moore and Burke homered in the seventh.
Nate Snead replaced Sechrist in the third and pitched the final five innings, yielding a run on two hits while striking out seven batters. Snead improved to a sparkling 8-1 thisseason.
“Nate was just outstanding,” said Vitello, who is 7-2 against the Gators in Gainesville.
The Vols return to action Tuesday at 6 p.m, when they host the Queens Royals.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.