Live Updates, Score, Game Notes: No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Florida SEC Tournament Championship
HOOVER, Ala. -- The top-ranked Tennessee baseball Volunteers are set to take on seven-seed Florida in Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT for the SEC Tournament Championship.
The Vols are 3-0 in the tournament thus far, defeating Vanderbilt, LSU and Kentucky by a combined 22 runs. The Vols have averaged a run an inning thus far in Hoover. With a win over Florida, the Vols would win their first SEC Tournament Championship since 1995, the same season they last won the regular-season SEC title.
Florida has played five games so far in the tournament, fighting their way to the tournament. The Gators began their run in Hoover with a win over South Carolina before being run-ruled by Texas A&M. Florida would ultimately get the last laugh against the Aggies, though, as the Gators defeated A&M 9-0 in the semifinals to advance to Sunday. Prior to to the victory over Texas A&M, Florida had topped Arkansas 7-5 to put out the reigning tourney champs and Alabama 11-6.
The Vols have started Blade Tidwell, Chase Dollander and Drew Beam so far this tournament, also using Chase Burns in extended relief.
Because of that, Tennessee will start Camden Sewell (6-1, 2.93 ERA) on the mound for the Championship game. In the Vols' SEC Tournament game against Florida last year, Sewell worked six shutout innings and was tremendous in his start.
Tony Vitello's most recent media availability recapping the Vols' win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Semifinals is above.
A link to all Tennessee Baseball coverage in the SEC Tournament from Volunteer Country on Sports Illustrated is here.
Below is Tennessee's starting lineup.
Lineup notes:
-Basic lineup. Little surprising Lipcius and Burke are starting in their respective spots in the lineup with Florida throwing a left. But as good as Lipcius and Burke's bats have been, it's hard to pull Luc from the two-hole and bench Burke.
Florida starting lineup:
LF Wyatt Langford
2B Sterlin Thompson
1B B.T. Riopelle
RF Ty Evans
CF Jud Fabian
DH Jac Caglianone
SS Josh Rivera
C Mac Guscette
3B Colby Halter
Official pitching matchup:
Vols Sr. RHP Camden Sewell (6-1, 2.93 ERA, 33 H, 14 ER, 15 R, 8 BB, 40 K, .214 b/avg.)
vs.
Gators Fr. LHP Carsten Finnvold (1-0, 16.62 ERA, 6 H, 8 ER, 9 R, 6 BB, 3 K, .316 b/avg.)
Notes:
-Sewell gets the Sunday start after Beam, Burns, Tidwell and Dollander have all started this week.
-Florida making the championship game a bullpen game, as Finnvold will likely not last long. He's only pitched 4.1 innings in four appearances this season. One SEC appearance. (6 H, 8 ER, 9 R, 6 BB, 3 K, .316 b/avg.)
Tennessee will be the away team due to the fact they have been the away team less than Florida this tournament.
The Vols will wear their dark mode alternate uniforms against the Gators on Championship Sunday.
Jordan Beck, Trey Lipscomb and Ethan Payne will all be in different jerseys today, wearing numbers 10, 11 and 36 respectively due to some stolen jerseys.
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The section below will be continuously updated with LIVE updates and the score from Tennessee's SEC Tournament Championship against Florida.
LIVE UPDATE THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Seth Stephenson lines out.
-Luc Lipcius creams a fly ball deep to center but it's held up at the warning track for the second out.
-Pete Derkay, I mean Mike Honcho, I mean Jordan Beck draws a two-out walk.
-Drew Gilbert strikes out swinging.
B1
-Wyatt Langford grounds out to SS.
-Sterlin Thompson singles to LF.
-Thompson steals second.
-BT Riopelle strikes out swinging.
-Ty Evans pops up to 2B.
Score: Vols 0, Gators 0
2nd Inning:
T2
-Trey Lipscomb is HBP.
-Lipscomb steals second on a wild pitch.
-Jorel Ortega grounds out to 3B.
-Evan Russell strikes out swinging.
-Blake Burke strikes out swinging.
B2
-Jud Fabian grounds out to 3B.
-Jac Caglianone singles down the LF line. Possibly could have been a double but Caglianone tripped rounding first.
-Josh Rivera flies out to shallow RF.
-Mac Guscette grounds out to 2B.
Score: Vols 0, Gators 0
3rd Inning:
T3
-Cortland Lawson smokes a triple off the left field wall. Nearly a homer.
-Seth Stephenson pops up to 2B.
-Luc Lipcius pops up to 3B.
-Jordan Beck strikes out looking. Tennessee misses an opportunity.
B3
-Colby Halter fouls out to 3B.
-Wyatt Langford singles to 2B. Ortega nearly made a heck of a play for the second out of the inning, but Langford makes it to first.
-Langford is caught stealing at second by Russell. Third baserunner to be caught stealing by Russell this tournament.
Score: Vols 0, Gators 0
4th Inning:
T4
-Drew Gilbert grounds out to 2B.
-Trey Lipscomb is walked.
-Jorel Ortega pops up to 2B. Lipscomb doesn't tag back up at first and is out to end the inning.
B4
-BT Riopelle grounds out to 3B.
-Ty Evans singles up the middle.
-Evans steals second.
-Jud Fabian grounds out to 3B. Evans moves to third.
-Jac Caglianone flies out to deep LF.
Score: Vols 0, Gators 0
5th Inning:
T5
-Evan Russell singles to 3B, advances to second on a throwing error by Colby Halter.
-Blake Burke singles to RF. Russell advances to third.
-Cortland Lawson strikes out swinging.
-Seth Stephenson single bunts to pitcher. Russell scores. Beautiful job by Stephenson.
-Luc Lipcius strikes out looking.
-Wild pitch advances Burke and Stephenson into scoring position.
-Jordan Beck is intentionally walked. Bases loaded for Gilbert.
-Drew Gilbert delivers a BASES-CLEARING double to left field.
**Fr. RHP Blake Purnell (3-3, 2.06 ERA) on to pitch for Florida**
-Trey Lipscomb grounds out to SS.
B5
-Josh Rivera grounds out to 3B.
-Mac Guscette grounds out to 3B.
-Colby Halter single bunts to p.
-Wyatt Langford singles to left field.
-Sterlin Thompson lines out to LF.
Score: Vols 4, Gators 0
6th Inning:
T6
-Jorel Ortega doubles down the left field line.
-Evan Russell is walked.
-Blake Burke reaches on a fielder's choice. Russell out at second. Runners on the corners with one out.
-Cortland Lawson strikes out swinging hard.
-Seth Stephenson RBI double down the third base line to score Ortega. Burke to third.
-Luc Lipcius cracks a two-run double to right center to score Burke and Stephenson.
-Jordan Beck strikes out swinging, out at c to 1b.
B6
**Jr. LHP Will Mabrey (2-0, 2.27 ERA) on to pitch for Tennessee**
-BT Riopelle singles up the middle.
-Ty Evans lines out to 2B for a double play. Riopelle out at first.
-Jud Fabian HBP
-Jac Caglianone grounds out to 3B.
Score: Vols 7, Gators 0
7th Inning:
T7
-Drew Gilbert grounds out to SS.
-Trey Lipscomb takes advantage of the shift and hits a single to right center.
-Jorel Ortega is walked.
-Evan Russell grounds into a 1-6-3 double play.
B7
-Josh Rivera grounds out to 1B.
-Mac Guscette flies out to CF.
-Colby Halter grounds out to 2B.
Score: Vols 7, Gators 0
8th Inning:
T8
**Fr. LHP Phillip Abner (1-1, 8.84 ERA) on to pitch for Florida**
**Christian Moore pinch-hitting for Blake Burke**
-Moore strikes out.
-Cortland Lawson grounds out to SS.
-Seth Stephenson singles to 3B, advances to second on throwing error by 3B.
-Luc Lipcius strikes out.
B8
**Ben Joyce (2-1, 1.91 ERA) on to pitch for Tennessee**
-Wyatt Langford is walked.
-Langford advnaces to second on a wild pitch.
-Sterlin Thomspon grounds out to 2B.
-BT Riopelle hits a two-run homer over the left center wall.
**So. LHP Zander Sechrist (4-0, 1.47 ERA) on to pitch for UT**
-Ty Evans doubles to left center.
-Jud Fabian singles to right field to give Florida runners on the corners.
**Jr. LHP Kirby Connell (3-0, 1.10 ERA) now on to pitch for the Vols**
-Jac Caglianone strikes out swinging.
-Josh Rivera RBI singles through the left side.
-Guscette reaches on a fielder's choice. Fabian out running to third.
Score: Vols 7, Gators 3
9th Inning:
T9
-Jordan Beck grounds out to SS.
-Drew Gilbert solo homers over the right field wall. Big-time blast from Gilbert.
-Trey Lipscomb doubles to left center.
**Fr. RHP Tyler Nesbitt (2-3, 4.85 ERA) on to pitch for Florida**
-Jorel Ortega pops up to 1B.
-Evan Russell flies out to deep LF.
B9
**UT Sr. LHP Redmond Walsh on to pitch for Tennessee**
-Calilao fouls out to catcher.
-Langford doubles to left center.
-Sterlin Thompson RBI doubles to left center to score Langford.
-BT Riopelle grounds out to 2B.
-Ty Evans advances on a fielding error by Jorel Ortega. Thompson scores.
-Fabian flies out.
Score: Vols 8, Gators 5
FINAL: Tennessee 8, Florida 5