Tony Vitello came charging out of the dugout ready to knock third baseman Zane Denton over in excitement after the Alabama transfer made a fantastic diving stop and throw to save a run and get Tennessee out of the eighth inning.
First baseman Blake Burke knocked Denton over in celebration first. Denton was fantastic for Tennessee Saturday as the Vols withheld a Kentucky push to take game two 10-7 and clinch the weekend series.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Tennessee Takes Control With Small Ball Second Inning
Kentucky starter Tyler Bosma retired the side in just four pitches in the first inning. It was fool’s gold from the left-hander. Bosma wouldn’t make it through the second inning as consistent offensive pressure led to a four-run Tennessee second inning.
The Vols jumped on Bosma quickly in the second inning with the first five batters reaching base. Blake Burke walked and Christian Moore singled to give Tennessee two-on with no one out. Griffin Merritt blooped a single to center field and strong base running and a fantastic slide allowed Burke to reach home safely and open the scoring.
Zane Denton followed it up with a fantastic at-bat, lining a 2-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single. Christian Scott continued doing the little things well, legging out a bunt single to load the bases.
Bosma struck out Cal Stark for the inning’s first out but it was the last out he’d record. Maui Ahuna drove in a pair of runs with a single to left field which ended Bosma’s day.
Tennessee wouldn’t get any more in the inning but the consistent damage by hitting singles and moving runners — something Kentucky excels at — was enough for the Vols to take a healthy lead.
More From RTI: Jared Dickey Is The Consistent Offensive Catalyst For Tennessee Baseball
Dollander Better Then The Numbers Suggest
Dollander turned in one of his best outings of the season against Kentucky but was just a little off from having the dominant start that’s proved elusive for him this season.
He got out of the first inning unscathed which was a major win for the junior. In SEC play, opponents have jumped on Dollander early. While he hasn’t let it derail many outings it has limited his ceiling as his pitch count has quickly gotten high.
Grant Smith was the first to have success against Dollander for Kentucky, hitting a solo homer to leadoff the third inning. But with Tennessee already leading 4-0, the solo homer was no major issue.
Dollander worked through five innings with little trouble but things went awry in the sixth. Tennessee trainer Jeff Wood and pitching coach Frank Anderson came out to look at Dollander but the right-hander stayed in the game.
The junior allowed a leadoff walk then consecutive two strike doubles pushed him from the game before he could record the sixth innings first out.
Dollander was good against Kentucky, allowing three runs while striking out six in five innings pitched. But he wasn’t quite the best version of Chase Dollander. The Vols are still searching for that this season. If they find it, watch out.
Denton Helps Tennessee Withstand Kentucky Push
Tennessee led 8-1 through five innings and looked like they would cruise to a game two win. But Kentucky had other ideas. The Wildcats scored six unanswered runs to pull within one run of Tennessee in the seventh inning.
Kentucky got two runs off Dollander in the sixth but did most of the damage off of reliever Camden Sewell. The steady right hander had a rare bad outing against Kentucky and the Wildcats totaled five hits and four earned runs off of him in 1.1 innings pitched.
Leading by just one run heading into the bottom half of the seventh inning, Tennessee desperately needed insurance. They threatened quickly with consecutive singles but it was Zane Denton who provided the big hit, doubling off the left field wall with the bases loaded to extend Tennessee’s lead to 10-7.
It wasn’t the last big play Denton made that was critical for Tennessee. The third baseman isn’t known for his defense but mad a fantastic diving stop and throw to get the Vols out of the eighth inning, save a run and strand a pair of runners on base.
Both plays were absolutely massive and crucial in Tennessee withstanding the Kentucky push.
Give credit to Chase Burns as well. He recorded the final eight outs for Tennessee and earned his first save of the season.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee and Kentucky conclude their weekend series Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is at 1 p.m. ET.
