Top-ranked Tennessee baseball (24-2, 6-1 SEC) used a five-run second and four-run fifth inning to claim a high-scoring series-opening win over South Carolina (17-10, 1-6 SEC) Friday in Columbia.
Hunter Ensley, Dalton Bargo and Dean Curley all had two RBIs apiece while Ariel Antigua led the way with three. Starting pitcher Liam Doyle was solid on the mound, Tanner Franklin was great for the majority of his relief outing and Dylan Loy got two big outs to end the game.
Here’s how it happened as Tennessee opened the weekened with a win at Founders Park.
Early Offensive Outburst
Tennessee found success early and often against South Carolina starter Jake McCoy, plating six runs in the first two frames.
Dalton Bargo stayed red-hot to get the scoring started, mashing a solo homer in the first inning. Bargo’s long ball was his third in as many games.
“As of late, he just looks comfortable in his own skin and his swing is a lot more calm,” head coach Tony Vitello said about Dalton Bargo’s recent hot streak. “It’s ironic that the ball is jumping off hotter with less effort but that is kind of the name of the game. It’s unfortunate, because that’s not easy to do. But as he has matured, and he’s gotten reps, I think he’s understood that and he is executing it well.”
After South Carolina scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, Tennessee quickly regained the lead in the second with some small ball.
A leadoff single was followed by an error to allow Jay Abernathy to bunt the runners over. Ariel Antigua then delivered a sac fly to center to tie the game. Back-to-back RBI singles from Dean Curley and Bargo scored the two more runs before Hunter Ensley smoked a two-run bomb to left-center.
Ensley’s third homer of the season gave Tennessee a 6-2 lead after two, quickly ending the momentum South Carolina had gained in the first.
Vols Add Four Runs in the Fifth
Tennessee added to its lead in the fifth with four runs.
After an Andrew Fischer hit-by-pitch and Reese Chapman walk put a pair on with no outs, South Carolina brought on righty Tyler Pitzer to relieve McCoy.
Pitzer retired his first two batters, but Tennessee was then able to drive in four runs with two outs.
Abernathy hit an RBI double down the left-field line before Antigua sent a two-run single up the middle. Curley then recorded his second RBI knock of the game, slapping a single to left to score Antigua.
Two-out rallies were the theme of Tennessee’s two big innings. In both the second and fifth inning, Tennessee scored four runs with two outs.
“I think that was a byproduct of guys competing,” Vitello said when reflecting on Tennessee’s two-out hitting after the game. “It’s a cliche thing, but grinding out at-bats. Some of them occurred with two outs, but you are seeing a guy who has really good stuff. He did jump ahead of a lot of hitters early in the game. He was throwing strikes, but our guys kind of wore him down a little and were able to capitalize on some mistakes.
“Some of those two-out hits were guys just flicking the ball around the park. Jay Abernathy’s at-bat kind of comes to mind. The guys did it as a group and got us out to a lead. Of course, no lead is safe against the team we are playing.”
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways: Tennessee Coasts Past Kentucky To Advance To Elite Eight
Solid Liam Doyle Start
Doyle was dominant in the middle but struggled at the beginning and end of his 5.2-inning outing.
South Carolina’s top-heavy lineup got the best of Doyle in the opening frame. Leadoff man Nathan Hall singled on Doyle’s first pitch before Ethan Petry smacked a two-run home run to left field.
But Doyle quickly settled in, mowing through Gamecock hitters across the next three innings. After Petry’s homer, Doyle retired 12 of his next 14 batters and struck out seven.
Doyle kept his pitch count low, too, throwing only 51 pitches in the first four frames.
The New Hampshire native didn’t run into any trouble until the fifth, when a leadoff single and one-out double gave South Carolina a pair of runners in scoring position.
A wild pitch allowed the Gamecocks to score one in the frame but Doyle quickly bounced back with a strikeout and groundout to strand a runner at third.
Doyle again ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing two baserunners before recording an out. Though he recorded consecutive strikeouts afterward, back-to-back RBI singles ended his day.
Hard-throwing right-hander Tanner Franklin relieved Doyle with runners on the corners and two gone. The Kennesaw State transfer quickly got a groundout to end the frame and keep Tennessee’s lead at five runs.
The final line doesn’t look great, but Doyle’s dominance in the middle of his outing should not be ignored. He also had better command than he had against Florida and Alabama. But a season-high in hits allowed prevents his outing from being a great one.
In total, the junior gave up five runs on nine hits in his 5.2 innings while striking out 11 and walking one on 97 total pitches.
Tanner Franklin, Dylan Loy Finish the Game
Franklin looked good in 2.2 innings relief work. The junior was in complete control for the majority of his outing, retiring his first seven batters.
His dominance in the seventh and eighth innings was important, too, as Tennessee’s offense struggled against South Carolina reliever Caleb Jones who took the mound to begin the sixth. The Vols’ lone run against Jones came in the ninth when a Manny Marin sac fly scored Chapman, who tripled.
However, Franklin ran into trouble in the ninth, giving up a two-run homer to Henry Kaczmar which made it a four-run game.
Franklin’s day was done after a one-out single from Petry, as Tennessee called upon lefty Dylan Loy to try and get the final two outs. Loy allowed a walk to put the tying run on deck, but Curley nabbed a hard-hit line drive at third to end the game.
Key Notes
- Including Friday’s game, Bargo is 7-13 in his past four games with three homers, a double, triple and seven RBIs.
- The junior utility man has been a versatile weapon for Tennessee the past two seasons, but he’s been streaky at the plate. That hasn’t been the case lately. He’s seeing the ball too well to take him out of the lineup and is the top DH option for the Vols right now.
- Antigua has surprisingly given Tennessee a lot of production from the nine-hole in the past two SEC games. The sophomore followed up his three-hit day in the series finale at Alabama with a 1-3, 3 RBI day in the opener against the Gamecocks.
- Antigua also led the Vols in RBIs Friday with three.
- Ensley is 13-27 with four doubles, a homer and 11 RBIs in his last six games.
- Loy still has a 0.00 ERA on the season.
- Doyle has struck out 10 or more batters in four of seven starts.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee will aim to clinch the series Saturday in Columbia. First pitch is at 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
