GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 1 Tennessee suffered its first SEC road series loss since 2023 on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, dropping a 3-2 decision to No. 5 Florida.
The series defeat snaps the Lady Vols’ streak of winning nine consecutive SEC series on the road.
Florida (31-2, 7-1 SEC) got on the board early with a solo home run from Taylor Shumaker in the bottom of the first inning.
From there, the game settled into a pitcher’s duel as Tennessee starter Karlyn Pickens and Florida’s Keagan Rothrock kept both offenses at bay until the fifth.
The Gators scratched across two runs in the fifth inning on a pair of walks, a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch and a single. Sage Mardjetko entered the game with one away in the fifth and got the Lady Vols out of the frame with a strikeout and a groundout.
Pickens (7-2) finished her outing, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and five walks over 4.1 innings of work. She suffered the loss.
Tennessee (28-3, 6-3 SEC) fought back as Gabby Leach ripped a two-run home run off the right field foul pole in the sixth, cutting the Gators’ lead to one.
Rothrock pitched a complete game for the Gators, giving up two runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts. She improved to 17-2 on the year with the win.
Mardjetko finished the outing for UT, tossing 1.2 frames. She did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out one.
The Lady Vols scattered five hits on the day with Gabby Leach going 2-for-3 with a single and a home run, while Alannah Leach and Makenzie Butt picked up base knocks. Elsa Morrison added a double to the hit tally in the seventh.
DUE UP
Tennessee returns home to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on March 24 for a midweek game against in-state foe Tennessee Tech.
