Six Quick Takes on a doubleheader-split in Columbia
The Tennessee baseball team finished off the 2023 regular season with a doubleheader split at South Carolina. The Vols dropped game one 6-1 before winning 12-1 in game two. With the win, Tennessee locks up the seventh seed for the SEC Tournament and will play 10-seed Texas A&M on Tuesday in the second game of the single elimination round of the tournament. The win in the nightcap of the doubleheader Saturday also secured Tennessee’s first road series-win of the season.
Here’s six quick takes on all of Saturday’s doubleheader action.
Game 1 Takes
Make them make a play – They did
Game one was speeding right along through three innings when the Vols finally put some pressure on the home team in the top of the fourth inning. Maui Ahuna led off the frame with a walk and Blake Burke was hit by a pitch with one away to put two runners on base. Griffin Merritt’s infield fly was a costly second out and the table was then set for Christian Moore with runners at first and second base.
Tennessee’s first hit of the ballgame was a single to left off the bat of Moore. Ahuna got the wave around third and was tagged out at home plate on a close, close play. After review, the play stood. Here’s why I don’t hate that send call. It took you until the fourth inning just to get a base runner. Make them make a play and to South Carolinas credit, they made a perfect play. You tip your cap.
In this game, base runners were hard to come by and sending Ahuna with two outs was a decision I had no issue with. If Ahuna would have got his hand down, he’s safe. If he would have gotten a better jump off second base, he’s safe. It was that close. Just a good baseball play that didn’t go Tennessee’s way. It happens.
Doubles put the Vols on the board
Even though it didn’t breakthrough, it felt like that fourth inning in game one woke Tennessee up a little bit at the plate. The Vols finally jumped on the scoreboard to tie the ballgame at one run apiece thanks to a pair of doubles in the frame. Zane Denton kicked off the fifth inning with a double to right-centerfield and then moved to third on a flyout by Dylan Drieling. Christian Scott then came up to the plate and doubled in Denton off the right field wall. Jared Dickey even made his return as a pinch-hitter in the frame.
It was a big inning for the Vols to tie the ballgame and to finally get barrel on the ball. It was also huge to see Jared Dickey make his return, swinging the bat.
Chase Dollander deserved better
Man, that’s tough. Chase Dollander looked better than he has all year long and Tennessee has nothing to show for it. The right-handed hurler tossed 5.1 innings of two-hit baseball, leaving the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth inning tied at one run apiece and with a runner at first base after a season-high 13 strikeouts and no walks on just 82 pitches. Chase Burns came on to relieve him and it all went downhill as the former starter allowed four runs off five hits in just a third of an inning of work. The Gamecocks plated five runs in the frame and held on in the seventh for the 6-1 final in game one.
So, why pull Dollander? I don’t have an answer for you there. It’s so easy to sit back and criticize when things go wrong. There’s been times in the past two seasons where it felt like Tony Vitello left his starters in a batter too long and it ended up costing them. This was the reverse of that as Dollander was straight dealing at the time of his departure. Maybe it was because he threw a ton of fastballs? Maybe it was because it was the heart of the South Carolina order. I don’t know. It was Vitello’s call and today it proved to be the wrong one.
The righty’s 13 strikeouts tied a career-best totaled back in 2021 when he was at Georgia Southern in a game against Appalachian State. The 13 punchouts were a season-best and one more than the 12 he fanned against Dayton in February. Dollander retired as many as 10-straight at one point in the ballgame and struck out at least two batter sin every inning he pitched until his departure in the sixth. His one mistake was a first inning solo home run. Otherwise, he was fire emoji all day long. A tough way to lose the ballgame in arguably your best pitching performance of the season.
Game 2 Takes
Missed opportunities both ways early on
Drew Beam faced the minimum in the first, retiring the side in 1-2-3 fashion. It was a great start as the righty has been struggling big-time his past two starts. However, the pitcher ran into trouble in the second when he walked the first two batters he faced. With no outs and runners on first and second, Talmadge LeCroy grounded into a pitcher’s best friend, a 5-4-3 double play to pickup two quick outs. Here was still a runner at third, but Michael Braswell’s flyout on the first pitch he saw got Beam out unscathed.
It was a quick turnaround as the righty picked up three outs on two-straight pitches. Good recovery and some good confidence picked up by beam in the third.
Tennessee returned the favor in the top of the third, however, as Cal Stark and Maui Ahuna each walked to leadoff the inning. Blake Burke lined out to third (heck of a play by the defender), Hunter Ensley struck out on a check swing and Jared Dickey grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning. The Vols had nothing to show for it and missed out on a huge opportunity to take control of the nightcap of the doubleheader.
Four-run fourth for the Vols
Tennessee exploded for four runs in the fourth inning off three hits, taking advantage of two defensive errors by the Gamecocks to take a commanding lead in game two of the doubleheader. With runners at first and second base, Zane Denton’s single to centerfield drove in Griffin Merritt. A run later scored on an error by the second baseman Will Tippett on a hard-hit ball off the bat of Christian Scott. Maui Ahuna doubled in the last two on a line drive down the left field line.
It was a great inning offensively for Tennessee and it gave some runs to work with for starter Drew Beam, who gave up a leadoff home run in the fifth – but responded with three strikeouts to end the inning. Tennessee got that run right back in the fifth when Griffin Merritt went to the opposite field right with a line drive home run.
The fourth inning woke up this offense and it was good to see for the Vols.
Drew Beam responds!
It’s been a rough go of it for Tennessee’s No. 3 starter of late, getting hit around in three of his past five outings on the mound. Saturday’s nightcap weighed heavily for Tennessee in terms of conference tournament seeding and furthering its case for an NCAA Regional bid. Tennessee received good Drew Beam in this one – dependable Drew Beam. QB1 returned.
The righty tossed six innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits with four strikeouts and two walks across 75 pitches. If not for a 30 minute-plus top of the seventh inning where Tennessee plated six more runs, maybe he would have come out and finished the seven-inning contest. Still, he was good with his lone blemish being a solo home run hit by Cole Messina to lead off the fourth inning.
Beam retired as many as six-straight, stranding five base runners – including three at third base by inning’s end. Great bounce back start from Beam and one that he can build on heading into postseason play.
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