SCORE: Tennessee 12, Indiana 6 | FINAL (Vols advance to the Knoxville Regional Final)
***SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE AT-BAT BY AT-BAT FEED***
Top-ranked Tennessee baseball (51-11, 22-8 SEC) is set to battle Indiana (33-24-1, 15-19 B1G) Saturday in game four of the NCAA Knoxville Regional. The game serves as each team’s second game in the regional and the NCAA Tournament.
First pitch in Lindsey Nelson Stadium is at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Tennessee is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. The Vols are hosting 4-seed Northern Kentucky, 3-seed Indiana and 2-seed Southern Miss in the Knoxville Regional this weekend.
Indiana is a very balanced 3-seed that battled through injuries this season and is probably better than its record indicates. The Hoosiers picked up an eye-opening, dominant win against 2-seed Southern Miss on Friday in the regional, 10-4. Tennessee followed up Indiana’s win with a 9-3 win over Northern Kentucky.
Tennessee enters the NCAA Tournament matchup coming off an SEC Tournament championship victory on Sunday against LSU to achieve its second tournament title in three years. The Vols went 4-1 in Hoover after losing to Vanderbilt by nine runs in their first game. Tennessee followed up its lone Hoover loss with wins over Texas A&M and Mississippi State along with a revenge win over Vanderbilt and a win over LSU in the tournament championship game.
Tennessee’s SEC Tournament title was enough to give them the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, which was announced Monday.
Indiana enters the NCAA Tournament coming off a 2-2 record in the B1G Tournament. Both of the Hoosiers’ losses came to eventual champion Nebraska. Indiana won all but two of its series in B1G play, losing to Nebraska and Illinois.
Illinois, Vanderbilt and Alabama are common opponents between Tennessee and Indiana. The Vols went 6-3 against those three teams in the regular season. The Hoosiers went 1-4 with the only win coming against Illinois, who Tennessee swept.
RECAP: Vols Use Elite AJ Causey Outing to Beat Northern Kentucky
DOMINANCE: Tennessee Baseball’s AJ Causey Dominant Again As Stakes Rise
TRANSCRIPT: Tony Vitello Talks NCAA Tournament Opening Win Over Northern Kentucky
The loser of Tennessee’s Saturday night matchup against Indiana will play Southern Miss on Sunday at Noon ET in an elimination game. The winner of that game will play the winner of Saturday night’s game Sunday evening at 6 p.m. ET.
Southern Miss eliminated Northern Kentucky in the first game on Saturday, winning 6-0.
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, including an INSTANT reaction video following Tennessee’s win over Northern Kentucky, click here.
For the latest RTI Press Pass baseball podcast, click here.
More From RTI: No. 1 Tennessee Baseball vs. Indiana: How To Watch, What To Know
VIDEO: Tony Vitello, Billy Amick, AJ Causey Recap NCAA Tournament Opening Win Over Northern Kentucky
Injury Note
Sophomore RHP AJ Russell is NOT on the ACTIVE roster this weekend. Russell made his return in Hoover after a near two-month absence. Russell pitched 2.0 innings in the SEC Tournament across two appearances. In his second appearance in the SEC Tournament championship against LSU, Russell threw just 13 pitches in the first inning as an opener.
Afterward, Russell was seen on the broadcast getting checked out by trainer Jeff Wood in the dugout. In the days after his outing, Russell has felt some soreness. While he is INACTIVE for this weekend, Tony Vitello said Russell is not necessarily out for the remainder of the season, though Vitello’s update wasn’t too promising.
THREAD: Tennessee Baseball vs. Northern Kentucky LIVE Thread
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)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
CF Hunter Ensley (R)
RF Kavares Tears (L)
SS Dean Curley (R)
DH Reese Chapman (L)
C Cal Stark (R)
Lineup Notes:
- Same lineup as Tennessee’s Friday night game against Northern Kentucky.
- Chapman gets the DH nod over Cannon Peebles, Dalton Bargo and others.
- Other 8 starters and the order the same as its been for the most part.
INDIANA STARTING NINE:
LF Devin Taylor (L)
3B Josh Pyne (R)
RF Nick Mitchell (L)
1B Brock Tibbitts (R)
SS Tyler Cerny (R)
DH Carter Mathison (L)
2B Jasen Oliver (S)
C Jake Stadler (L)
CF Morgan Colopy (R)
Pitching Matchup:
Vols Jr. RHP Drew Beam (8-2, 3.92 ERA, 15 app., 15 starts, 2 CG, 85.0 IP, 87 H, 47 R, 37 ER, 21 BB, 75 K, 25 XBH, .264 opp. batting avg., 1.27 WHIP)
vs.
Hoosiers So. RHP Connor Foley (4-1, 3.71 ERA, 13 app., 13 starts, 60.2 IP, 33 H, 29 R, 25 ER, 42 BB, 80 K, 13 XBH, .155 opp. batting avg., 1.24 WHIP)
Pitching notes:
- Beam continues to start on day two of a series-like setting.
- Foley has been Indiana’s Saturday guy all season. Foley has been a tad up and down this season and is still working his way back to 100% from a back injury. Foley has only had two really bad outings this season (Belmont and Penn State).
Uniforms
Tennessee: Dark Mode
Indiana: Creams with red caps and red accents
*NOTES*
- There is NO Run-Rule in NCAA Tournament play.
- Tennessee is the AWAY team because the Vols have been the home team more than Indiana so far in the regional.
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Christian Moore strikes out looking.
-Blake Burke flies out to LF.
-Billy Amick works a walk.
Amick advances to second on a balk.
- Pitcher balked on a pickoff attempt.
Connor Foley is having issues hearing the pitch come through on the pitch com. Quick pause in play so Foley can talk with his pitching coach and the home-plate umpire.
-Dylan Dreiling flies out to CF in left-center.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Devin Taylor strikes out looking.
-Josh Pyne pops up to 2B.
-Nick Mitchell strikes out swinging.
- 95 mph heater for strike three.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Hoosiers 0
2nd Inning:
T2
-Hunter Ensley works a leadoff walk.
-Kavares Tears grounds out to 2B. Ensley advances to second.
- Great play by the second baseman to dive and stop a hard-hit one-hopper.
-Dean Curley smokes a two-run homer to left center.
- First HR for Curley since the series finale @ Auburn on April 7.
- 10th HR on the season for Curley. Becomes the 6th Vol to hit double digit homers.
- 105 mph, 397 ft.
-Reese Chapman strikes out swinging.
- Sword on strike three.
-Cal Stark HBP.
-Christian Moore rips a two-run homer to RF.
- No doubter. 29th HR of the season.
- 399 ft., 107 mph.
-Blake Burke sends a single through the right side.
Burke advances to second on a wild pitch.
-Billy Amick works a walk.
Runners advance to second and third on a wild pitch.
-Dylan Dreiling is walked on four pitches.
- Bases loaded with two outs for Hunter Ensley. Vols have batted through the lineup this inning.
-Hunter Ensley flies out to CF.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
-Brock Tibbitts grounds out to SS.
-Tyler Cerny flies out to the warning track in LF.
-Carter Mathison strikes out looking on three pitches.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 4, Hoosiers 0
3rd Inning:
T3
-Kavares Tears works a walk.
-Dean Curley legs out an infield single to 3B on a swinging bunt. Tears advances to second.
-Reese Chapman flies out to LF after a loooong battle.
- Great AB by Chapman to battle back from 0-2 but he flies out.
-Cal Stark works a walk.
- Bases loaded with one out for Christian Moore.
-Christian Moore works a bases-loaded walk.
- Things began to unravel for Foley last inning. Now he cannot find the zone. Already at 91 pitches.
*Pitching change: Jr. LHP Ryan Kraft (1-1, 7.03 ERA) on to pitch for Foley*
-Blake Burke strikes out looking.
-Billy Amick smacks a grand slam to left field.
- Just got out. 348 ft., 94 mph. 21st HR for Amick this season.
- 2nd grand slam for Amick this season. 12th grand slam for Tennessee this season.
- 12 grand slams is tied for second-most in NCAA history.
-Dylan Dreiling singles through the left side.
-Hunter Ensley smokes a single off the pitcher’s leg. Dreiling advances to second.
- Vols have batted through the order for the second straight inning.
-Kavares Tears is walked.
- Bases loaded with two outs for Dean Curley.
-Dean Curley strikes out swinging.
- Vols have stranded the bases loaded back to back innings, BUT they’ve also scored 9 total runs.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-Jasen Oliver grounds out to 2B.
-Jake Stadler ropes a double to left-center.
-Morgan Colopy works a walk.
-Devin Taylor crushes a three-run homer to LF.
-Josh Pyne legs out a single to SS.
-Nick Mitchell grounds out to P. Pyne advances to second.
Pyne steals third.
-Brock Tibbitts lines out to 2B.
- Fantastic diving catch by Moore on an absolute laser. Saved a run.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 9, Hoosiers 3
4th Inning:
T4
-Reese Chapman strikes out looking.
- Tony and the dugout very unhappy with the strike three call.
-Cal Stark mashes a solo homer to LF.
- 379 ft., 104 mph. 7th HR for Stark on the season.
- 4th HR of the game for Tennessee.
-Christian Moore issued a four-pitch walk.
-Blake Burke flies out to LF.
-Billy Amick grounds out to SS.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
-Tyler Cerny HBP.
-Carter Mathison rips an RBI double to right-center.
-Jasen Oliver strikes out swinging.
-Jake Stadler HBP.
Frank Anderson calls a mound meeting.
-Morgan Colopy strikes out swinging.
- Nearly a strike ’em out, throw ’em out. But Stadler is safe at first.
*Pitching change: So. LHP Andrew Behnke (2-1, 3.38 ERA) on to pitch for Beam*
-Devin Taylor is walked on four pitches.
- Bases loaded with two outs for Josh Pyne.
-Josh Pyne pops up to 2B in shallow CF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 10, Hoosiers 4
5th Inning:
T5
*Pitching change: So. RHP Ethan Phillips (4-0, 6.21 ERA) on to pitch for Kraft*
-Dylan Dreiling works a leadoff walk.
-Hunter Ensley drills a double to down the LF line.
-Kavares Tears slaps an RBI single to left field to score Dreiling, advances to second on a fielding error by LF. Ensley scores on the fielding error by LF.
-Dean Curley flies out to RF.
-Reese Chapman strikes out swinging.
-Cal Stark strikes out swinging on three pitches.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
-Nick Mitchell grounds out to 2B.
-Brock Tibbitts singles up the middle.
-Tyler Cerny singles to LF.
-Carter Mathison strikes out looking.
-Jasen Oliver flies out to CF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 12, Hoosiers 4
6th Inning:
T6
*Andrew Wiggins to LF for Devin Taylor*
- Taylor is out for the remainder of the game with a shoulder injury he’s been tending to. He is expected to play tomorrow, per GoVols247’s Ben McKee.
- Taylor is Indiana’s best hitter.
-Christian Moore singles to SS.
- Ricocheted off of Tyler Cerny’s glove, but it was a rocket.
-Blake Burke reaches on a fielder’s choice to RF. Moore out at second, 9-6.
- Moore didn’t get a good jump. Looked like he thought it would be a flyout. Good throw from the right fielder Nick Mitchell.
Burke caught stealing at second, 2-4.
-Billy Amick HBP.
-Dylan Dreiling singles to 2B. Amick advances to third.
-Hunter Ensley works a walk.
- Bases loaded with two outs for Kavares Tears.
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Ty Rybarczyk (2-2, 7.06 ERA) on to pitch for Phillips*
-Kavares Tears grounds out to 2B to strand ’em loaded.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
-Jake Stadler grounds out to SS.
-Morgan Colopy strikes out swinging.
-Andrew Wiggins singles to CF.
- Ricocheted off of Curley’s glove into centerfield. He jumped up but couldn’t make the play.
-Josh Pyne flies out to RF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 12, Hoosiers 4
7th Inning:
T7
-Dean Curley flies out to CF in left-center.
-Reese Chapman strikes out swinging on three pitches.
-Cal Stark strikes out swinging.
- First time tonight Tennessee has gone down in order offensively.
END OF TOP HALF
B7
-Nick Mitchell grounds out to SS.
-Brock Tibbitts flies out to RF.
-Tyler Cerny is walked on four pitches.
*Cal Sefcik pinch-hitting for Carter Mathison*
-Sefcik strikes out looking.
- Andrew Behnke has pitched a career-high 3.1 innings tonight. Previous career-high was this season against UNC Asheville (2.2 innings).
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 12, Hoosiers 4
8th Inning:
T8
-Christian Moore grounds out to SS.
-Blake Burke deposits a single into left field.
-Billy Amick flies out to RF.
Burke steals second.
-Dylan Dreiling flies out to the warning track in RF.
END OF TOP HALF
B8
*Pitching change: So. RHP Marcus Phillips (0-0, 4.42 ERA) on to pitch for Behnke*
-Jasen Oliver doubles down the RF line.
- Went right over Burke’s head.
*TJ Schuyler pinch-hitting for Jake Stadler*
-TJ Schuyler works a walk.
Oliver advances to third on a wild pitch, which was ball four in Schuyler’s AB.
-Morgan Colopy sends an RBI groundout to 2B.
- Another incredible play by CMo at second. Dove to stop it from going into the outfield. One of the best defensive games Christian Moore has ever played.
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Dylan Loy (2-0, 2.28 ERA) on to pitch for Phillips*
-Andrew Wiggins delivers a single through the left side. Schuyler advances to third.
-Josh Pyne rips an RBI single to RF.
*Pitching change: So. RHP Aaron Combs (2-1, 2.86 ERA) on to pitch for Loy*
-Nick Mitchell strikes out swinging.
-Brock Tibbitts grounds out to P.
- Nice play by Combs.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 12, Hoosiers 6
9th Inning:
T9
*Schuyler to C*
-Hunter Ensley strikes out looking.
-Kavares Tears strikes out looking.
-Dean Curley flies out to CF in right-center.
END OF TOP HALF
B9
*Ariel Antigua to SS for Dean Curley*
-Tyler Cerny HBP.
-Cal Sefcik singles to 2B. Cerny advances to second.
- No one could find the pop up. CMo tried to make a sliding catch but couldn’t make the play. Hit turf and Sefcik reaches base.
Cerny advances to third.
-Jasen Oliver strikes out looking.
Sefcik steals second.
*Joey Brenczewski pinch-hitting for TJ Schuyler*
-Joey Brenczewski strikes out swinging. One out away.
-Morgan Colopy strikes out looking.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 12, Hoosiers 6
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 12, Indiana Hoosiers 6
