SCORE: Vols 24, Illinois 1 | FINAL
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Eighth-ranked Tennessee baseball (14-1) is set to host the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-7) Saturday in Lindsey Nelson Stadium in game two of a three-game series.
First pitch is at 1 p.m. ET in Knoxville. SECN+ has the stream.
Reminder that the online broadcasts can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. You can also watch or listen to the game using the links.
The Vols enter Saturday on an 13-game winning streak, having won their most recent game in the series opener against Illinois, 6-3. Therefore, Tennessee has the opportunity to clinch the series against the Fighting Illini.
A series win would mark Tennessee’s third straight, as they swept Bowling Green last week and UAlbany the week before.
Tennessee has not lost since the second game of the season, when the Vols fell to Oklahoma, 5-1, in extra innings in Arlington.
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage of Tennessee’s season so far, including their series-opening win against Illinois, click here.
More From RTI: Strong Pitching Propels Tennessee Baseball To Series Opening Win Over Illinois
Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below.
Starting Lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
CF Kavares Tears (L)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
C Cannon Peebles (S)
DH Dalton Bargo (L)
SS Dean Curley (R)
RF Reese Chapman (L)
Lineup Notes:
- Peebles gets the catcher start after Stark started on Friday.
- Chapman gets an outfield start in right and Tears moves to center.
- NO Hunter Ensley today.
- Bargo gets the DH start as he and Villeneuve continue to rotate at that spot.
ILLINOIS STARTING NINE:
CF Asher Bradd (R)
SS Cal Hejza (R)
LF Camden Janik (R)
3B Coltin Quagliano (R)
1B Drake Westcott (L)
DH Vytas Valincius (R)
C Jacob Schroeder (R)
RF Ryan Moerman (R)
2B Brody Harding (L)
Pitching Matchup:
Vols Jr. RHP Drew Beam (2-0, 2.16 ERA, 3 app., 3 starts, 16.2 IP, 18 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 15 K, .286 opp. batting avg., 1.14 WHIP)
vs.
Fighting Illini Sr. RHP Logan Tabeling (0-1, 5.40 ERA, 3 app., 2 starts, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 7 BB, 18 K, .167 opp. batting avg., 1.30 WHIP)
Uniforms:
Tennessee: Orange tops, white bottoms
Illinois: Navy tops, grey pants, navy hats with orange accents.
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Asher Bradd singles through the right side.
-Cal Hejza strikes out swinging.
-Camden Janik flies out to right center.
Bradd caught stealing at second, over-slid the bag, 2-4. Illinois was going to challenge the play, but the runner would have been out due to interference anyway, so no challenge.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Christian Moore flies out to CF.
-Blake Burke doubles down the LF line. Burke barely got the bat on it, and it was barely fair.
-Billy Amick reaches on an infield single. Catcher fielded it, but the throw wasn’t in time. Burke advances to third.
-Burke scores on a passed ball. Amick advances to second.
-Kavares Tears smokes an RBI double to center field to score Amick. Tears is on a 14-game hit streak. He also has reached base in every game he’s played in.
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out looking.
-Cannon Peebles flies out to CF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Fighting Illini 0
2nd Inning:
T2
-Coltin Quagliano grounds out to 2B.
-Drake Westcott singles to CF.
-Vytas Valincius singles through the left side.
-Jacob Schroeder strikes out looking.
-Ryan Moerman reaches on a fielder’s choice by Curley, who then commits a fielding error resulting in Valincius being safe at second. Bases loaded for nine-hole hitter Brody Harding with two outs.
-Harding grounds out to 2B.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
-Dalton Bargo works a leadoff walk on a full count.
-Dean Curley strikes out looking.
-Reese Chapman is walked. Bargo advances to second.
-Christian Moore reaches on a fielder’s choice. Chapman out at second, 6-4. Bargo advances to third.
-Blake Burke bloops an RBI double to left field to score Bargo. Moore advances to third. Third baseman dove for it, but couldn’t make the catch in shallow left field.
Moore scores on a wild pitch. Burke advances to third.
-Billy Amick works a walk on a full count. Runners on the corners with two outs for Kavares Tears.
Burke scores on a wild pitch. Amick advances to second.
-Kavares Tears is walked on a full count.
*Pitching change: So. LHP Sam Reed (0-1, 8.71 ERA) on to pitch for Tabeling*
Reed CANNOT find the zone in warmups.
Runners advance on a wild pitch.
-Dylan Dreiling crushes a three-run home run to center. 420-feet bomb.
-Cannon Peebles reaches on a fielding error by the first baseman.
-Dalton Bargo strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 8, Fighting Illini 0
3rd Inning:
T3
-Asher Bradd grounds out to SS.
-Cal Hejza grounds out to SS.
-Camden Janik grounds out to SS.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-Dean Curley strikes out swinging.
-Reese Chapman knocks a ground-rule double to right field.
-Christian Moore launches a 352-foot two-run home run to right field.
-Blake Burke grounds out to 2B. Nice play by Harding.
-Billy Amick strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 10, Fighting Illini 0
4th Inning:
T4
-Coltin Quagliano strikes out looking.
-Drake Westcott strikes out looking.
-Vytas Valincius grounds out to 1B unassisted. Nice play by Burke.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
48-MINUTE RAIN DELAY
Drew Beam is warming back up in the bullpen. Looks like he’ll still be the guy for the Vols when they go back on defense.
-Kavares Tears flies out to RF. Play has officially resumed.
-Dylan Dreiling flies out to RF.
-Cannon Peebles flies out to LF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 10, Fighting Illini 0
5th Inning:
T5
Beam is back on the mound.
-Jacob Schroeder grounds out to 3B.
-Ryan Moerman is walked.
-Brody Harding rips a double down the left field line. Moerman advances to third.
-Asher Bradd connects for an RBI groundout to SS.
-Cal Hejza strikes out looking.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
-Dalton Bargo smokes a leadoff homer to right center. His second HR of the season.
-Dean Curley doubles to left field.
-Reese Chapman lines out to RF.
-Christian Moore works a walk.
-Blake Burke smashes a three-run moonshot homer to right field. 394-feet, 34 degree launch angle. Burke’s third extra-base hit of the day.
Burke is now 5 HR away from tying the program record that is held by Luc Lipcius (40).
*Pitching change: Jr. LHP Payton Hutchings (1-1, 15.00 ERA) on to pitch for Reed*
-Billy Amick smacks a single to left center field.
-Kavares Tears reaches on a fielder’s choice by the first baseman as Amick is out at second, 3-6.
*Colby Backus pinch-hitting for Dylan Dreiling*
-Backus strikes out swinging, out at first C to 1B.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 14, Fighting Illini 1
6th Inning:
T6
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Dylan Loy (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on to pitch for Beam*
*Backus to LF*
*Ensley to CF for Tears*
*Bradke Lohry to 2B for Moore*
-Camden Janik strikes out swinging.
-Coltin Quagliano strikes out swinging, out at first C to 1B.
-Drake Westcott fouls out to 3B.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
-Cannon Peebles is aboard with a leadoff single to CF.
*Ethan Payne pinch-running for Peebles*
-Dalton Bargo works a walk. Payne advances to second.
-Dean Curley singles to LF to load the bases for Reese Chapman.
-Chapman crushes a 415-foot home run to the left-field porches for a grand slam.
-Bradke Lohry pops up to 2B.
*Charlie Taylor pinch-hitting for Burke*
-Taylor pops up to SS in shallow LF.
*Camden Bates pinch-hitting for Billy Amick*
-Bates singles to P. The throw was in time but took the first baseman off the bag.
-Hunter Ensley strikes out swinging for out number three.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 18, Fighting Illini 1
7th Inning:
T7
*Pitching change: So. RHP JJ Garcia (0-0, 13.50 ERA) on to pitch for Loy*
*Payne to 1B*
*Bates to SS*
*Curley to 3B*
*Payne to 1B*
*Gavin Bennett pinch-hitting for Valincius*
-Bennet singles to CF.
-Jacob Schroeder strikes out looking.
*Christian Smith pinch-hitting for Moerman*
-Smith strikes out looking.
-Brody Harding flies out to LF.
END OF TOP HALF
B7
*Pitching change: So. LHP Reed Gannon (0-0, 9.00 ERA) on to pitch for Hutchings*
-Colby Backus is plunked.
-Ethan Payne singles through the right side. Backus advances to third.
Backus scores on a wild pitch. Payne advances to second.
Jacob Schroeder (C) takes a ball to the groin, and he will exit the game.
*Janik to C*
*Connor Milton to LF for Schroeder*
-Dalton Bargo is walked.
*Hunter High pinch-hitting for Curley*
*Pitching change: Jr. LHP Evan Clark (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on to pitch for Gannon*
-Hunter High ropes an RBI double down the LF line to score Payne. Bargo advances to third.
-Reese Chapman HBP. Bases loaded for Bradke Lohry.
-Lohry sends a two-run single up the middle. Chapman advances to second.
-Charlie Taylor strikes out swinging.
-Camden Bates fouls out to RF. Nice sliding catch by the right fielder. Runners advance to second and third.
-Hunter Ensley is hit by a pitch. Bases loaded for Colby Backus with two outs.
-Colby Backus strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 22, Fighting Illini 1
8th Inning:
T8
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Brayden Sharp (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on to pitch for Garcia*
*High to 3B*
*Collin Jennings pinch-hitting for Bradd*
-Jennings strikes out swinging.
-Cal Hejza strikes out swinging.
-Camden Janik flies out to RF.
END OF TOP HALF
B8
*Pitching change: Korey Bunselmeyer (0-0, 5.40 ERA) on to pitch for Evans*
-Ethan Payne is walked.
*Brayden Sharp to DH, hitting for Bargo*
-Brayden Sharp flies out to CF.
-Hunter High doubles to left center. Payne advances to third.
-Reese Chapman ropes a two-run double to right field. Chapman has six RBI.
-Bradke Lohry strikes out looking.
-Charlie Taylor strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 24, Fighting Illini 1
9th Inning:
T9
*Pitching change: RS-Fr. Austin Hunley (1-0, 7.71 ERA) on to pitch for Sharp*
*Bates to 3B*
*Ariel Antigua to SS for High*
-Reagan Reeder strikes out looking.
-Jayden Comia strikes out looking.
-Gavin Bennett grounds out at first 1B to P. Nice play by Hunley.
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 24, Illinois Fighting Illini 1
