KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 5/12 Tennessee opened its two-week homestand with a hard-fought 7-5 win over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in what was a rematch of last year’s opening game of the NCAA Knoxville Regional.
The Volunteers (36-9) wasted no time jumping out to an early lead, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on a Hunter Ensley two-run double.
The Norse (24-19) responded, however, taking advantage of four walks and a hit batsman to score four of their five runs on the night in the top of the second inning to take a 4-2 lead.
UT went on to score four unanswered runs to regain the lead and entered the seventh with a 6-4 advantage before the two sides traded runs in the inning to account for the final score.
Freshman righty Brayden Krenzel returned to the mound after missing the past two weeks with an illness, striking out two batters in a scoreless first inning for the Vols. Nate Snead slammed the door with a shutout frame in the ninth to pick up his fourth save.
Sharman Shines
Redshirt junior lefthander Michael Sharman stepped up big time when the Vols needed it most by stopping any momentum NKU had built offensively in the early going with 4.1 impressive innings of extended relief.
Sharman gave up just one run on three hits and set a career high with six strikeouts on the night to earn his third win of the year.
Lawless Long Balls, Vols Reach Century Mark
Redshirt freshman catcher Stone Lawless also had a big night at the plate, hitting two solo homers while drawing a walk. The Alabama native’s second long ball of the night in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the game-winning hit.
With Lawless’ two dingers, Tennessee hit the 100-homer mark for the fourth straight season. Since the start of the 2021 season, UT’s 664 four baggers lead the nation.
Production Throughout the Lineup
Three other Vols joined Lawless with multiple hits on Tuesday night in Gavin Kilen (2-for-5, 2 doubles, 1 run), Dean Curley (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI) and Dalton Bargo (2-for-3, 1 run).
Ensley finished with a game-high three RBIs to increase his team-leading total to 53 on the year. Blake Grimmer also had a clutch pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning to provide an insurance run for the Big Orange.
Up Next
Tennessee opens an important weekend series against No. 5/10 Auburn on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
