SCORE: Tennessee 16, ETSU 0 | FINAL (Run Rule; 7 inn.)
Ninth-ranked Tennessee baseball (3-1) is set to host the ETSU Buccaneers (3-0) inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium Wednesday evening in a midweek contest. First pitch is at 4:30 p.m. ET. SEC Network + has the stream.
The matchup with the Bucs is Tennessee’s second game in the same amount of days as they had two midweek contests this week. The Vols escaped with a win on Tuesday night over UNC Asheville, winning 3-2 in the 2024 home opener.
The Vols are also coming off an appearance in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington on opening weekend in which they went 2-1.Tennessee beat Texas Tech, 6-2, on Friday and Baylor, 11-5, on Sunday but lost to Oklahoma, 5-1, on Saturday in 10 innings.
ETSU swept their first series of the season on opening weekend, beating Lafayette in all three games and outscoring them 55-13.
More From RTI: GALLERY: Tennessee Baseball Finds the Win in Home Opener
Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes for Tennessee’s battle with ETSU are below.
Starting Lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
C Cannon Peebles (S)
RF Kavares Tears (L)
DH Robin Villenueve (R)
SS Dean Curley (R)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
CF Hunter Ensley (R)
Lineup Notes:
- Curley gets his first career start, handling short stop duties. Moore moves to second base.
- After Charlie Taylor got the catcher start Tuesday, Peebles gets the catcher start today.
- Villenueve starts his second straight game at DH and has now started three games as the DH.
- Dreiling moves down the order to eighth and Ensley goes from leadoff all the way to ninth.
ETSU STARTING NINE:
DH Nick Iannantone
CF Tommy Barth
1B Cameron Sisneros
RF J.D. Yakubinis
2B Cooper Torres
LF Noah Gent
SS Ashton King
3B Cody Miller
C Ryan McCarthy
Pitching Matchup
Vols Fr. LHP Matthew Dallas (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 app., 0 starts, 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, .000 opp. batting avg., 1 batter faced)
-First career start for Dallas, who dealt with an injury in the offseason but is back fully healthy. Dallas has loads of potential and could become one of Tennessee’s top bullpen arms this season, or the Sunday starter.
vs.
Buccaneers R-So. LHP Derek McCarley (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 app., 0 starts, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, .000 opp. batting avg., 3 batters faced)
Uniforms
Tennessee: All whites
ETSU: Navy tops, grey bottoms
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Nick Iannantone reaches on a fielding error by Blake Burke. 11-pitch at-bat.
-Tommy Barth grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. First action we’ve seen out of Dean Curley at short and he looked good there.
-Cameron Sisneros strikes out looking. 16-pitch inning for Dallas.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Christian Moore flies out to CF.
-Blake Burke grounds out to SS.
-Billy Amick strikes out looking.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Buccaneers 0
2nd Inning:
T2
-J.D. Yakubinis grounds out to SS.
-Cooper Torres strikes out looking.
-Noah Gent flies out to RF.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
-Cannon Peebles strikes out swinging.
-Kavares Tears reaches on a fielding error by the first baseman. E3.
-Robin Villenueve is walked.
-Dean Curley reaches on a fielder’s choice by the shortstop. Villenueve out at second 6-4. Tears advances to third.
-Tears scores on a wild pitch. Used impressive speed to beat the tag at home plate. Curley advances to second.
-Dylan Dreiling grounds out to 1B unassisted.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 1, Buccaneers 0
3rd Inning:
T3
-Ashton King strikes out swinging.
-Cody Miller grounds out to pitcher. Great throw by Dallas to beat the runner. Was very close at first.
Play under review. Call CONFIRMED.
-Ryan McCarthy works a walk.
-Nick Iannantone flies out to deep LF.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-Hunter Ensley singles to P.
-Christian Moore singles to SS. Ensley advances to second.
-Blake Burke strikes out swinging.
-Billy Amick works a walk.
-Cannon Peebles reaches on a fielder’s choice by SS. Amick out at second, 6-4. Ensley scores. Moore advances to second.
-Kavares hits an RBI single to SS. Great job by Tears to place it directly in the gap. Moore scores. Peebles advances to second.
-Robin Villenueve smacks an RBI single into shallow left field. Peebles scores from second. Tears advances to second.
-Dean Curley cranks a three-run homer to left center. His first career home run. How’s that for a debut?
-Dylan Dreiling singles through the left side.
*Pitching change: Jr. RHP Landon Crumbley (0-0, 6.00 ERA) on to pitch for McCarley*
-Hunter Ensley drives in Dreiling with an RBI double to left field. Nice job by Dreiling to score all the way from first and beat the throw.
-Christian Moore launches a two-run bomb off the batter’s eye.
-Blake Burke doubles to RF.
-Billy Amick destroys a two-run home run to the left field porches. His first home run inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Likely first of many.
-Cannon Peebles grounds out, 1B to p.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 12, Buccaneers 0
4th Inning:
T4
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Dylan Loy (no 2024 stats) on to pitch for Dallas*
-Tommy Barth strikes out swinging.
-Cameron Sisneros reaches on a HBP.
-Sisneros is picked off by Loy.
-J.D. Yakubinis strikes out looking on three pitches.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
*Pitching change: Fr. RHP Jace Hyde (1-0, 7.36 ERA) on to pitch for Crumbley*
*Reese Chapman pinch-hitting for Kavares Tears*
-Chapman strikes out looking.
-Robin Villenueve strikes out swinging.
-Dean Curley works a walk on a full count.
-Dylan Dreiling works a walk on a full count. Curley advances to second.
-Hunter Ensley slices an RBI single up the middle to score Curley.
*Colby Backus pinch-hitting for Christian Moore*
-Backus strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 13, Buccaneers 0
5th Inning:
T5
*Pitching change: So. RHP Marcus Phillips (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on to pitch for Loy*
*Backus to CF for Ensley*
*Chapman to RF*
*Ethan Payne to 2B for Moore*
*Alex Perry to 3B for Amick*
-Cooper Torres strikes out looking on a full count.
-Noah Gent flies out to CF.
-Ashton King grounds out to 3B.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Owen Kovacs (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on to pitch for Hyde*
*Dalton Bargo pinch-hitting for Burke*
-Bargo strikes out looking.
-Austin Perry is walked on four pitches.
-Cannon Peebles grounds out to 1B unassisted. Perry advances to second.
-Reese Chapman flies out to CF in right center.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 13, Buccaneers 0
6th Inning:
T6
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Brayden Sharp (no 2024 stats; career debut) on to pitch for Phillips*
*Bargo to 1B*
*Charlie Taylor to C for Cannon Peebles*
-Cody Miller flies out to RF. Absolutely incredible diving catch by Chapman at the wall.
-Ryan McCarthy flies out to CF.
-Nick Iannantone singles to CF. Backus nearly made the diving catch but was just short. It’s ETSU’s FIRST hit of the game.
-Tommy Barth pops up to 2B.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Nathan Kickman on to pitch for Kovacs*
*Hunter High pinch-hitting for Villenueve*
-High strikes out swinging.
-Dean Curley triples off the right-center wall to continue his hot night at the plate in his debut.
*Camden Bates pinch-hitting for Dreiling*
-Bates strikes out looking.
-Ethan Payne is walked.
-Colby Backus SMASHES a three-run homer off the batter’s eye.
-Dalton Bargo flies out to LF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 16, Buccaneers 0
7th Inning:
T7
*Pitching change: So. RHP JJ Garcia on to pitch for Sharp*
*Bates to 2B*
*Payne to LF*
-Cameron Sisneros flies out to LF.
-Noah Webb grounds out to 1B unassisted.
-Blake Jacklin strikes out swinging.
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 16, ETSU Buccaneers 0
