KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers used four home runs on Friday afternoon to hold off the visiting University of Evansville baseball team, 11-6, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee in the first of the best-of-three Super Regional series in the NCAA Tournament.
“This game was a lot closer than the final score indicates,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “I was really proud of the fight and effort that our ballclub showed today. Tennessee is a very good ballclub, but we are a good team as well, and I think that we proved that we could play with them today. We are going to learn from today, go back to the hotel and flush this game, and we will be back at the park tomorrow ready to try and get back in this series.”
Tennessee first baseman Blake Burke opened the scoring on Friday afternoon with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Volunteers an early 1-0 lead. Evansville would answer right back though, as graduate first baseman Chase Hug opened the top of the second inning with a double, before junior second baseman Cal McGinnis followed two batters later with a two-run home run to right-center field to give UE a 2-1 lead.
UE would remain in the lead until the third inning, when Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore and third baseman Billy Amick launched a pair of home runs to give the Vols a 4-2 lead. Tennessee would add a run in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly on a close play at home plate to take a 5-2 lead, before Evansville would answer back.
In the fifth inning, UE scored three runs to tie the game at 5-5 on a two-run double off the top of the wall in left-center field by senior designated hitter Kip Fougerousse and an RBI single by Hug. The Volunteers would scrape across three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to retake a three-run lead though. An RBI double by Burke just beyond the reach of a leaping Ty Rumsey in center field opened the scoring to give UT a 6-5 lead. Then, an infield single and throwing error on a slowly hit ground ball third-base side added another run. Outfielder Hunter Ensley then beat an infield shift with an RBI single through the right side with two strikes and two outs to give Tennessee an 8-5 lead.
The game would remain 8-5 until the seventh inning, when Tennessee used more two-out, two-strike magic to grab three insurance runs. After a two-out double by Amick, Tennessee outfielder Dylan Dreiling got the benefit of the doubt on a border-line pitch to work a full-count walk to extend the frame. Ensley then belted a three-run home run to left field on a 2-2 pitch to give Tennessee an 11-5 lead.
UE would stage one last rally in the ninth inning, as freshman Brodie Peart, senior shortstop Simon Scherry and graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger delivered three-straight singles to score a run and trim the UT lead to 11-6. Evansville would eventually load the bases with no one out, but Tennessee closer Aaron Combs was able to record three-straight strikeouts to end the contest and give the Volunteers the 11-6 victory.
McGinnis, Hug and Scherry all had two hits to lead UE, with Fougerousse and McGinnis driving in a pair of runs. Ensley and Amick both had three hits, with Ensley driving in four runs to pace the Tennessee attack. The two teams each had nine hits, with Evansville knocking three doubles to take over the national lead for doubles with 157.
With the victory, Tennessee improves to 54-11 overall and takes a 1-0 series edge in the best-of-three Super Regional series. Evansville (38-25 overall) will try to event the series on Saturday behind graduate LHP Donovan Schultz (6-2, 5.84 ERA). He will be opposed by Tennessee RHP Drew Beam (8-2, 4.16 ERA). Saturday’s game begins at 10 a.m. central time and can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live nationally on ESPN2.
