Four Quick Takes on a series-opening win over LSU
Tennessee won for the first time on Friday in three weeks as it took care of the LSU Tigers in game one of the three-game set from Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Here’s Four Quick Takes on the eighth league win for the Big Orange.
Welcome back, Billy Barrels
Tony Vitello said Tuesday night that Billy Amick was getting some work defensively but hadn’t yet been taking swings as he was on his way back from having his appendix removed nearly three weeks ago. Could have fooled me as the Tennessee third baseman announced his return after eight games in a big way with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.
The blast given up by Tigers starter Gage Jump was sent 99 miles per hour off the bat 396 feet over the left field wall. It quickly gave Tennessee a 2-0 lead and it came on the first pitch of the at-bat. In fact, the last two at-bats [at the time] for Amick resulted in home runs as his final at-bat against Ole Miss prior to his injury was a grand slam. Amick now has 11 home runs on the season.
Amick ended up going 1-for-3 on the night with two runs scored and a walk after missing the past eight games.
WE REPEAT, BILLY IS BACK! #BillyBomb
https://t.co/Y8qfdSEztN #GBO // #OTH // #BeatLSU pic.twitter.com/zWmihco5pM
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 12, 2024
Chris Stamos + AJ Causey
The graduate lefty got the call to make the start Friday night after a week of speculation on what the plans for game one would be. The plan was single. He would open the contest and get as many outs as he could before handing the ball to AJ Causey (or a bridge) to go multiple innings. Mission accomplished as the first-year Vol, who has already opened four games over the past two seasons with Cal, picked up the critical first eight outs before handing the ball to Causey in a monster moment.
The southpaw worked around a one-out double in the scoreless first. He retired the Tigers in order in the second and struck out the first man he faced in the third. With one out, Michael Braswell III doubled on a ball that should have been caught, but Dylan Dreiling simply lost it in the lights. Stamos rebounded with another strikeout before walking Jared Jones to put runners at the corner.
AJ Causey came in and gave up a single to Tommy White, plating the first run of the game. He walked the next batter he saw but struck out Mac Bingham with the bases loaded to end the inning and preserve the Tennessee lead at 2-1. Stamos’ night ended after 40 pitches (27 strikes) and 2.2 innings where he surrendered one run off two hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Causey found his groove again after a rough two week stretch that resulted in his removal from the weekend rotation, tossing 4.2 innings of relief with seven strikeouts to two walks, five hits but surrendered no runs. Kirby Connell came on with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth – picking up a quick two outs to preserve Causey’s line and picking up the save as the tying run was on-deck when he made his appearance.
Great work.
Blake Burke = hitting machine
Blake Burke has done it again. His single in the bottom of the third inning – his second at-bat of the ballgame – raised hit hit-streak to 24 games. The streak tied Justin Ross for the third-longest hit-streak in program history as he accomplished the feat in 1998. Condredge Holloway’s 27-game hit-streak back in 1975 is the longest in program history while Jeff Pickler’s 26-game hit-streak is the second-best for the program. Burke is now just two shy of tying that one as well.
The single also raised his on-base streak to 32 straight ballgames. There’s no official log on the longest on-base streak in program history, but for reference, Liam Spence reached base in 50-straight games back in 2021. Drew Gilbert did so in 28-straight games in 2022 and Christian Moore did so in 20-straight contest last season.
Burke finished the ballgame going 2-for-4 with a run scored at the plate.
Three-run fifth gives some insurance
It was some midweek baseball for he Vols in the bottom half of the fifth inning, but the home team will take it as they scored three runs off two hits while taking advantage of a pair of LSU errors of the five run lead at 6-1 by inning’s end.
Christian Moore led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a Blake Burke single that lined off the first base bag. It was the third-straight at-bat Moore had reached base in the ballgame and the second hits for Burke in three tries. The first run of the ballgame then came on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Billy Amick. The attempted 4-6-3 double play failed as the throw to first was offline and went out of play, allowing Amick to move to second base and Moore to come around and score. Vols 4-1.
Moments later, Amick tried to take third on a wild pitch and the throw down to the hot corner from LSU catcher Brady Neal was down the left field line and off the marker. Amick scored easily making the score 5-1. An out later, Dylan Dreiling smacked a solo home run to right field that travelled 343 feet into the Tennessee bullpen. The 13th long ball of the season for Dreiling tied Moore of the team-lead.
By the end of the ‘little league’ inning, the Vols led the Tigers by a score of 6-1.
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