SCORE: Tennessee 3, Alabama 6 | FINAL
*SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE AT-BAT- BY AT-BAT FEED*
Fifth-ranked Tennessee baseball (18-1, 1-0 SEC) is set to battle fourteenth-ranked Alabama (15-3, 0-1 SEC) in Tuscaloosa at Sewell-Thomas Stadium Saturday night in game two of a three-game series. Saturday night’s contest will air on the SEC Network, marking the first televised Tennessee baseball game this season.
First pitch is at 8 p.m. ET. You can also listen to the game here.
The Vols enter the matchup on a 17-game winning streak, with their last win coming in the series opener against the Tide on Friday night, 11-3. Therefore, Tennessee can clinch the series with a victory over Alabama on Saturday.
Tennessee’s offense has been incredible this season and they showed out once again on Friday, totaling 12 hits including three home runs. AJ Causey also shoved in his first SEC start as a Vol, dealing eight strikeouts and giving up just two runs in 6.2 innings on 111 pitches. Read all about Causey’s start and Tennessee’s dominant series-opening win here.
A series win would mark the fourth consecutive for Tennessee, as the Vols swept UAlbany, Bowling Green and Illinois in their past three series. Tennessee has not lost since the second game of the season against Oklahoma.
Alabama now has a two-game losing streak with Friday’s loss to Tennessee, as the Tide dropped a midweek contest to Southern Miss on Tuesday. Still, the Tide have a dangerous offense and well above average starting pitching. There’s no question Alabama is among the toughest opponents Tennessee has faced so far this season.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Dominates Alabama in Complete Performance to Win the Series Opener
Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.
Starting Lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
RF Kavares Tears (L)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
DH Robin Villeneuve (R)
SS Dean Curley (R)
RF Dalton Bargo (L)
C Cannon Peebles (S)
Lineup Notes:
- Peebles gets the second straight catcher start. Expect Cal Stark to get the nod on Sunday.
- Bargo moves to right field and Tears goes to center. NO Hunter Ensley as Bargo takes his place in the lineup. Only personnel change in the lineup.
- Peebles moves to the nine-hole and Bargo slides in at the eight-hole.
- Villeneuve stays at DH.
ALABAMA STARTING NINE:
3B Gage Miller
CF TJ McCants
LF Ian Petrutz
RF Evan Sleight
DH William Hamiter
C Mac Guscette
1B Will Hodo
SS Justin Lebron
2B Bryce Eblin
Pitching Matchup:
Vols Jr. RHP Drew Beam (3-0, 2.08 ERA, 4 app., 4 starts, 21.2 IP, 22 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 20 K, .268 opp. batting avg., 1.11 WHIP)
vs.
Crimson Tide Sr. LHP Greg Farone (2-0, 1.72 ERA, 5 app., 4 starts, 15.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 21 K, .193 opp. batting avg., 0.83 WHIP)
Pitching notes:
- Beam gets the Saturday start as he has all season.
- Alabama goes with Farone on a Saturday for the second straight week after using him as the Sunday guy the two weeks prior. Farone has the best numbers of any Alabama pitcher with at least 11 innings pitched.
Uniforms
Tennessee: Orange tops, grey bottoms
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Christian Moore singles down the RF line to kick things off.
-Blake Burke doubles down the RF line. Runners on second and third with no outs for Billy Amick.
-Amick strikes out swinging.
-Kavares Tears works a walk after an eight-pitch at-bat. Bases loaded with one out for Dylan Dreiling.
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.
-Robin Villeneuve flies out to RF. Vols strand the bases loaded.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Gage Miller smacks a leadoff double to left center field.
-TJ McCants singles to pitcher. Miller advances to third.
McCants advances to second on an error by Beam.
-Ian Petrutz grounds out to 2B and gets an RBI as it scores Miller.
-Evan Sleight grounds out to 3B.
-William Hamiter grounds out at first, 1B to P.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Crimson Tide 1
2nd Inning:
T2
-Dean Curley fouls out to SS.
-Dalton Bargo grounds out to 2B in shallow RF. Shift worked wonders for Alabama there.
-Cannon Peebles strikes out swinging, out at first C to 1B.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
-Mac Guscette grounds out to pitcher.
-Will Hodo strikes out looking on three pitches.
-Justin Lebron singles to 2B. Moore could have made the play.
Lebron advances to second on a wild pitch.
-Bryce Elbin smokes an RBI triple to right center to score Lebron, then scores on a throwing error by Christian Moore as the throw went into the dugout. Tide take a 3-0 lead.
-Gage Miller pops up to RF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Crimson Tide 3
3rd Inning:
T3
-Christian Moore ropes a leadoff double down the LF line.
-Blake Burke grounds out to 3B. Moore should’ve went to third.
-Amick reaches on a fielder’s choice as Moore is out at second, 6-4. Bad mental error by Moore, who has made a couple of those so far tonight.
-Kavares Tears grounds out to 2B.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-TJ McCants strikes out looking.
-Ian Petrutz flies out to LF.
-Evan Sleight singles off of Beam’s foot. Hit him hard but he seems to be OK.
-William Hamiter is walked. Sleight advances to second.
-Mac Guscette sends an RBI single down the RF line to score Sleight. Barely got past Burke. Hamiter advances to third.
-Will Hodo works a walk. Guscette advances to second. Bases loaded for Justin Lebron.
Frank Anderson calls a mound meeting.
-Lebron comes through with a two-run single through the left side to score Guscette and Hamiter. Hodo advances to second.
-Bryce Eblin pops up to 3B to end the inning.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Crimson Tide 6
4th Inning:
T4
-Dylan Dreiling grounds out to SS.
-Robin Villeneuve gets Tennessee on the board with a solo home run to left center.
-Dean Curley reaches on a fielding error by the second baseman.
-Dalton Bargo flies out to CF.
-Cannon Peebles flies out to RF.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
-Gage Miller flies out to RF.
-TJ McCants strikes out swinging.
-Ian Petrutz singles through the left side.
-Evan Sleight strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 1, Crimson Tide 6
5th Inning:
T5
-Christian Moore singles to left center.
-Blake Burke flies out to LF.
-Billy Amick strikes out looking.
-Kavares Tears lines out to 1B. Really unlucky as that ball was hammered.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
-William Hamiter strikes out swinging.
-Mac Guscette lines out to RF.
-Will Hodo strikes out looking. Strong inning from Beam. Hasn’t been his best night, but he’s been better than the stat sheet indicates.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 1, Crimson Tide 6
6th Inning:
T6
-Dylan Dreiling grounds out to 2B.
*Pitching change: RHP Tyler Fay (1-0, 2.87 ERA) on to pitch for Farone*
-Robin Villeneuve strikes out swinging.
-Dean Curley lines out to RF.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
-Justin Lebron pops up to 2B.
-Bryce Eblin grounds out at first, 1B to P.
-Gage Miller grounds out to SS.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 1, Crimson Tide 6
7th Inning:
T7
-Dalton Bargo lines out to LF. To the warning track.
-Cannon Peebles grounds out to 1B unassisted.
-Christian Moore sends a solo home run to left field. A missile.
-Blake Burke strikes out swinging. Home plate ump ruled that strike three hit off Burke’s bat and went into the catcher’s glove, but it didn’t look like it on the replay. Bad call.
END OF TOP HALF
B7
*Hunter Ensley to CF for Bargo*
Looked like Bargo came up a bit lame after running to first on his fly out in T7.
*Tears to RF*
-TJ McCants pops up to LF.
-Ian Petrutz grounds out to SS.
-Evan Sleight flies out to LF.
Make that 10 straight retired. 13 of the last 14 retired. And 24 pitches in the last three innings. Beam has done enough for the #Vols to win this game. Offense just hasn’t been there. https://t.co/eGQu2v4rwe
— Jack Foster (@jackfostermedia) March 17, 2024
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Crimson Tide 6
8th Inning:
T8
-Billy Amick is plunked to leadoff the inning.
*Pitching change: LHP Alton Davis II (1-0, 2.16 ERA) on to pitch for Fay*
-Kavares Tears gets a double to drop in left field. Amick advances to third.
-Dylan Dreiling reaches on a RBI fielder’s choice as Amick scores. Tears out at third, 6-5.
-Robin Villeneuve strikes out looking.
-Dean Curley flies out to CF.
END OF TOP HALF
B8
-William Hamiter grounds out to 2B.
-Mac Guscette fouls out to 1B.
-Will Hodo flies out to CF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 3, Crimson Tide 6
9th Inning:
T9
-Hunter Ensley lines out to 3B. Hard hit ball right to the third baseman. Also Ensley should’ve been walked as the 3-1 pitch was ball four, but it was ruled a strike.
-Cannon Peebles reaches on a fielding error by the third baseman.
-Christian Moore flies out to RF.
-Blake Burke singles up the middle. Peebles advances to second.
-Billy Amick pops up to SS.
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 3, Alabama Crimson Tide 6
