KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/1 Tennessee started its week off with a convincing 14-3 victory over Queens on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers (23-2) scored 10 combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 12-3 lead before tacking on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth for good measure.
Nine different Vols had hits on the night, including multi-hit efforts from Andrew Fischer (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI), Reese Chapman (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Blake Grimmer (2-for-3, 2 R, 5 RBI).
Grimmer Makes Most of Opportunity
Grimmer earned his first-career start, getting the nod at designated hitter, at made the most of it, setting career highs in hits, runs scored and RBIs. The Michigan native had an RBI groundout in the second inning, a two-run single in the fifth and capped his impressive night with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, his third long ball of the season.
Plenty of Arms Saw Action
Ten pitchers saw action on Tuesday evening for Tennessee and combined to strike out 18 batters, which was the second most in a game this season.
Redshirt junior lefthander Michael Sharman made his first start at UT and tossed a scoreless first inning to get things started on the right foot. Austin Breedlove followed by striking out the side in the second inning on just 11 pitches before handing the ball off to Bryson Thacker, who worked a clean third inning in his second career appearance.
Brandon Arvidson earned the win after tossing two shutout frames. The junior lefty allowed just one hit and struck out four batters to improve to 2-0 on the year.
Up Next
The Vols travel to South Carolina for a weekend series against the Gamecocks. Game one is slated for a 7 p.m. first pitch on Friday night at Founders Park.
