KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball bounced back on Tuesday night against Xavier with a 10-2 win to snap a two-game losing streak.
Tennessee’s midweek win marked their 17th consecutive win inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium dating back to last season, and the Vols maintained a perfect record against midweek opponents this season.
Blake Burke left the yard to inch closer to program history, Tennessee scored three runs in the fourth inning, and multiple pitchers combined to allow just four hits in a relatively stress-free win over the Musketeers.
Here’s a handful of quick takeaways on Tennessee’s 19th win of the season.
Blake Burke Inches Closer to History
Blake Burke got the scoring started for Tennessee in the first inning with a no-doubt two-run home run to right-center field. Burke’s blast was the his 8th of the season and 38th of his career, bringing him just two bombs shy of the program home run record (40).
Burke’s blast scored himself and leadoff hitter Christian Moore, who walked.
Tennessee Scores Thrice in the Fourth
The Vols had an opportunity to strike in the third, but Dylan Dreiling struck out to strand the bases loaded.
However, poor defense from Xavier and a few key hits allowed Tennessee to take a comfortable lead an inning later.
Cannon Peebles and Dean Curley put Tennessee in business with back-to-back singles to leadoff the inning. After the runners advanced on a wild pitch, Reese Chapman brought home Peebles with a sac fly.
Curley scored a batter later when Charlie Taylor grounded into a fielder’s choice. What should have been a routine 6-2 putout turned into a disaster for Xavier, as the catcher and third baseman horrifically botched the rundown.
Curley escaped the pickle and scored, while Taylor made it all the way to third amidst the chaos. Taylor scored the third and final run of the inning shortly thereafter when Christian Moore plated him with an RBI groundout.
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Late Game Juice
Tennessee entered the seventh inning having only scored in the first and fourth innings. It was a slower-than-normal night for the Big Orange at the plate in chilly Knoxville, especially for a midweek contest.
However, the Vols were able to find more offensive success in the final two frames, scoring five runs.
Dylan Dreiling roped an RBI double, and Reese Chapman worked an RBI walk to score a pair of runs in the seventh.
Peebles joined the RBI party in the eighth, clearing the bases with a hard-hit double to deep left field. The sophomore’s eighth-inning hit gave him the RBI lead for the game with three. Burke and Chapman tied for second with two.
Peebles’ double brought Tennessee to 10 runs on the night, marking the 12th game of the season the Vols have scored double-digit runs.
Several Arms See Action
Senior left-hander Zander Sechrist got the ball to start, as he has in the past three midweek affairs. Sechrist pitched just three innings before four bullpen arms combined to throw the remaining six innings.
Freshman left-hander Dylan Loy was first out of the bullpen. The Pigeon Forge native gave up a pair of hits and one run in one inning before freshman right-hander Brady Robertson allowed a hit, walk and a run in 0.2 innings.
Senior left-hander Kirby Connell was next up out of the pen and was Tennessee’s most effective reliever, retiring seven of eight batters in 2.1 innings. The outing was Connell’s second-longest of the season.
Sophomore right-hander Marcus Phillips got the ball to start the eighth inning before quickly experiencing some discomfort with his wrist just nine pitches into his outing. Graduate transfer left-hander Chris Stamos relieved Phillips and pitched the remainder of the eighth, retiring his only two batters.
Freshman left-hander Matthew Dallas pitched the ninth inning, retiring the side around a two-out walk.
Up Next
Tennessee will host Ole Miss this weekend for a three-game series in Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is at 6:30 p.m. ET.
