KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/1 Tennessee jumped out to an early lead and was steady throughout in a businesslike 7-1 victory over in-state foe Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols (27-2) scored in each of the first three innings to build an early 5-0 advantage over the Golden Eagles (19-11).
UT pulled ahead 2-0 just two batters into the game after Dean Curley reached on an error to start the contest before coming around to score on a Blake Grimmer two-run homer. Curley added a two-run shot of his own in the second inning to double the Volunteers’ lead, hitting a mammoth 431-foot blast to left-center field for his eighth long ball of the year.
Chris Newstrom joined the home run party with another two-run dinger into the porches to cap the scoring in the bottom of the seventh inning. The freshman was one of four Vols to finish with two hits on the night, joining Curley, Grimmer and Dalton Bargo.
Streaking
A handful of players extended notable streaks on Tuesday. Andrew Fischer kept his on-base streak alive in his final at-bat of the night with a double down the right field line and has now reached base safely in all 29 games this season.
Hunter Ensley extended a pair of streaks with a single to center field in the second inning. The veteran outfielder has a nine-game hit streak and has reached base in 27 games in a row after his performance against Tennessee Tech.
Bargo also added on to his hit streak to eight straight games after going 2-for-2 with a run scored in the win over the Golden Eagles.
Pitchers, Pitchers and More Pitchers
The Big Orange used 11 different pitchers on Tuesday night, headlined by the return of junior righthander AJ Russell. The Franklin, Tennessee, native, started the game and pitched a scoreless opening frame with a pair of strikeouts in his second appearance of the year and first since Feb. 25 vs. North Alabama.
Redshirt-junior lefty Michael Sharman tossed a scoreless second inning to record his first victory as a Vols.
Up Next
The Vols welcome Texas A&M to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a rematch of last year’s College World Series finals. Friday’s series opener is slated for a 7 p.m. start on ESPNU.
