SCORE: Vols 8, Illinois 3 | FINAL
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Eighth-ranked Tennessee baseball (15-1) is set to host the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-8) Sunday in Lindsey Nelson Stadium in game three of a three-game series.
First pitch is at 1 p.m. ET in Knoxville. SECN+ has the stream.
Reminder that the online broadcasts can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. You can also watch or listen to the game using the links.
The Vols enter Sunday on an 14-game winning streak and are going for the sweep over the Fighting Illini, having won the first two games in the series 6-3 on Friday and 24-1 on Saturday.
Read about Friday’s stress-free win led by a dominant AJ Causey performance here.
Read about Saturday’s onslaught of Illinois’ pitching staff by Blake Burke, Reese Chapman and others here.
A series sweep would mark Tennessee’s third straight, as they swept Bowling Green last week and UAlbany the week before.
Tennessee has not lost since the second game of the season, when the Vols fell to Oklahoma, 5-1, in extra innings in Arlington.
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage on Tennessee’s series win over Illinois so far, click here.
More From RTI: Everything Tony Vitello Said After the Vols’ Blowout Win Over Illinois
Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below.
Starting Lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
CF Kavares Tears (L)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
DH Robin Villeneuve (R)
SS Dean Curley (R)
RF Reese Chapman (L)
C Cal Stark (R)
Lineup Notes:
- Stark gets his second start of the weekend. NO Cannon Peebles today.
- Chapman gets his second straight outfield start in right after he hit 6 RBI yesterday, and Tears moves to center.
- NO Hunter Ensley today.
- Villeneuve gets the DH start as he and Bargo continue to rotate at that spot.
ILLINOIS STARTING NINE:
CF Asher Bradd (R)
SS Cal Hejza (R)
LF Camden Janik (R)
3B Coltin Quagliano (R)
1B Drake Westcott (L)
DH Vytas Valincius (R)
C Jacob Schroeder (R)
CF Connor Milton (R)
2B Brody Harding (L)
Pitching Matchup:
Vols Jr. RHP Aaron Combs (0-1, 5.68 ERA, 4 app., 1 start, 6.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 9 K, .174 opp. batting avg., 1.42 WHIP)
vs.
Fighting Illini So. RHP Jake Swartz (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 3 app., 1 start, 11.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, .238 opp. batting avg., 1.06 WHIP)
Pitching notes:
- Combs’ second start of the season and his Tennessee career.
- Combs started last Tuesday’s game against Kansas State and pitched 2.0 innings.
- Nate Snead, Marcus Phillips and Chris Stamos should all get time on the mound today, as well.
Uniforms:
Tennessee: Sunday creams
Illinois: Navy tops, grey pants, navy hats with orange accents
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Asher Bradd grounds out to P.
-Cal Hejza grounds out to SS.
-Camden Janik works a walk.
-Coltin Quagliano grounds into a fielder’s choice as Janik is out at second, 6-4.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Christian Moore flies out to CF.
-Blake Burke grounds out to SS.
-Billy Amick smokes a double to RF. 108 mph off the bat.
-Kavares Tears pops up to 2B.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Fighting Illini 0
2nd Inning:
T2
-Drake Westcott pops up to SS.
-Vytas Valincius grounds out to 3B.
-Ryan Moerman knocks a 402-foot home run straight away to center field off the batter’s eye. Solo homer.
-Connor Milton works a walk.
Tennessee is CHALLENGING the ruling that Milton is safe after Combs attempted to pick him off. It’s close, and Burke firmly believes he got the tag in time.
–Call STANDS. Not a good enough angle to overturn.
-Brody Harding pops up to SS in shallow left field.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.
-Robin Villeneuve flies out to the warning track in center field.
-Dean Curley is hit by a pitch.
-Reese Chapman flies out to CF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Fighting Illini 1
3rd Inning:
T3
-Asher Bradd strikes out swinging.
-Cal Hejza sends a single up the middle.
-Camden Janik singles through the left side. Hejza advances to third.
-Coltin Quagliano knocks a sac fly to RF. Rather than throwing to home as he should, or at least threatening to, Chapman leisurely tossed the ball to Moore at second, and Hejza tagged up and ran home. Bad decision by Chapman.
-Drake Westcott smacks an RBI double off the left-center field wall. Janik scores.
-Vytas Valincius strikes out swinging.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-Cal Stark works a walk after a great at-bat.
-Christian Moore grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.
-Blake Burke works a walk on a full count.
-Billy Amick is walked. Two on with two outs for Kavares Tears.
-Kavares Tears grounds out to 1B unassisted.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Fighting Illini 3
4th Inning:
T4
*Pitching change: So. RHP Nate Snead (3-0, 2.57 ERA) on to pitch for Combs*
-Ryan Moerman strikes out swinging.
-Connor Milton grounds out to 2B.
-Brody Harding grounds out to 2B.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
-Dylan Dreiling grounds out at first 1-6-3. Hard-hit grounder ricocheted off the pitcher’s shoe, then the shortstop threw him out at first.
Tennessee CHALLENGES a not hit by pitch ruling, as Villeneuve thinks he was hit in the wrist.
-Robin Villeneuve strikes out swinging.
-Dean Curley grounds out to 3B.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Fighting Illini 3
5th Inning:
T5
-Asher Bradd singles through the right side.
-Cal Hejza strikes out swinging.
-Camden Janik grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
*Hunter Ensley pinch-hitting for Reese Chapman*
-Ensley smokes a 384-foot solo home run to the left-field porches. First HR of the season for Ensley.
-Cal Stark flies out to CF.
-Christian Moore grounds out to SS.
-Blake Burke launches a solo home run to right center. His 6th HR of the season is a 382-foot shot to bring the Vols within one run. Burke is now four HR shy of tying the program record.
-Billy Amick grounds out to SS. Things are getting chippy. Something to monitor as the game progresses.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Fighting Illini 3
6th Inning:
T6
*Tears to RF*
*Ensley to CF*
*Dalton Bargo to 1B for Blake Burke*
Burke has apparently been EJECTED. Unclear why.
- It seems Burke either said something to the catcher after hitting his home run, or the bat flip caused the ejection. Both teams were warned earlier in the game, so all players were on a short leash.
- Burke will now MISS Tuesday’s game against Eastern Kentucky due to the ejection. He will be back for the Friday’s SEC opener against Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
-Coltin Quagliano grounds out to SS.
-Drake Westcott strikes out swinging.
-Vytas Valincius flies out to LF.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Regan Hall (1-1, 4.00 ERA) on to pitch for Swartz*
-Kavares Tears works a leadoff walk.
-Dylan Dreiling singles to RF. Tears advances to second.
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Joseph Glassey (0-0, 5.19 ERA) on to pitch for Hall*
Tears advances to third on a fielding error by the second baseman during a pickoff attempt.
-Robin Villeneuve works a walk on a full count. Bases loaded for Dean Curley with no outs.
-Dean Curley sends a sac fly to LF to score Tears.
-Hunter Ensley grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 3, Fighting Illini 3
7th Inning:
T7
-Ryan Moerman grounds out to SS.
-Connor Milton strikes out looking.
-Brody Harding knocks a single into center field.
-Asher Bradd pops up to SS in shallow center field.
END OF TOP HALF
B7
*Cannon Peebles pinch-hitting for Cal Stark*
-Peebles strikes out swinging. Did have a 112 mph rope that was barely foul to right field during the at-bat.
-Christian Moore grounds out to 3B. Was originally ruled that he reached on a fielding error by 1B, but the first baseman’s foot did not, in fact, come off the bag. Moore is OUT.
-Dalton Bargo works a walk on a full count.
-Billy Amick works a walk after a great at-bat. Runners on first and second with two outs for Kavares Tears.
-Kavares Tears gets an RBI double to drop in shallow left-field. Now a 15-game hit streak for KT. Amick advances to third.
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Jake Rons (1-0, 1.80 ERA) on to pitch for Glassey*
-Dylan Dreiling is walked on four pitches. Bases loaded for Robin Villeneuve.
-Robin Villeneuve crushes a GRAND SLAM to the left-field porches. 355-feet.
-Dean Curley strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 8, Fighting Illini 3
8th Inning:
T8
*Peebles to C*
-Cal Hejza flies out to LF.
-Camden Janik reaches on a throwing error by Amick. Burke probably would have made that pick, but it was a tough play for Bargo at first.
-Coltin Quagliano singles to right field. Janik advances to second.
-Drake Westcott out at first 1B to P. Runners advance to second and third.
-Vytas Valincius is HBP. Bases loaded for Ryan Moerman.
-Ryan Moerman grounds into a fielder’s choice as Valincius is out at second, 6-4, to end the top half. Nice job by Snead to get out of the jam, and his strong day is likely done.
END OF TOP HALF
B8
-Hunter Ensley works a leadoff walk.
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Will Lavin (0-0, 1.59 ERA) on to pitch for Rons*
-Cannon Peebles grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.
-Christian Moore flies out to RF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 8, Fighting Illini 3
9th Inning:
T9
Nate Snead back out on the mound in the ninth.
*Ethan Payne to 1B for Bargo*
*Gavin Bennett pinch-hitting for Milton*
-Bennett works a leadoff walk.
-Brody Harding flies out to CF.
-Asher Bradd is walked.
-Cal Hejza flies out to RF.
-Camden Janik smacks a single into right field to load the bases.
-Coltin Quagliano strikes out swinging to strand the bases loaded.
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 8, Illinois Fighting Illini 3
