Four Quick Takes on a much needed road win for the Big Orange
For just the second time this season, Tennessee is a winner on the road as the Vols handled business for the 12-3 victory in game one over Georgia on a rainy Friday night in Athens.
Tennessee (32-14, 12-10 SEC) scored a run in each of the second and third innings before exploding for five in the seventh to take control of the ballgame. Georgia (25-21, 8-14) had no issues putting the ball in play but tallied just a 1-for-10 mark with runners in scoring position on the night.
Camden Sewell (4-0) took home the win for Tennessee after tossing 2.2 innings of one-run baseball where he allowed three hits with one big strikeout in the fifth inning. Kolten Smith (2-2) picked up the loss after surrendering two early runs off two hits in just 2.1 innings of work.
The Vols scored 12 runs off 14 hits in the ballgame while the Bulldogs plated just three runs off 11 knocks. Tennessee and Georgia will be back in action Saturday afternoon at 2 ET, but first, how did this one happen for the Volunteers?
A pitcher’s best friend? The double play
It looked as if it was going to be another typical first inning for Tennessee baseball. After a quick top of the first, the Vols hit the field for the first time and Andrew Lindsey was in danger right away. Ben Anderson led off the frame with a five-pitch walk. Charlie Condon followed with a hard-hit single up the middle, putting a pair of base runners on with nobody out.
The Tennessee starter would then work to get three outs to escape unscathed. But how? Well, the old saying says the double play is a pitcher’s best friend. Connor Tate lined a 1-2 fastball right back to the mound where Lindsey caught it in stride. He then threw back to the first base bag to double up Condon, who had no chance to get back. Parks Harber followed with a groundout to third base to bring the inning to a close.
One pitch and two outs. You’ll take that every day if you’re a pitcher. The Vols jumped out in front 1-0 in the next half-inning to follow after a Christian Scott RBI single. Looking back, that double play was huge. Maui Ahuna turned another one later in the fourth by himself.
That’s how you get your guy’s back
Maybe it wasn’t the double play and more like Kirby Connell and Camden Sewell who was Andrew Lindsey’s best friends on Friday night. Why? Because the duo got the starter out of a two-on, no-out jam in the bottom of the fifth inning to preserve the 2-1 lead at that point in time in the ballgame. It all started with a single by Sebastain Murillo and a walk by Mason LaPlante, that promptly chased Lindsey from the game.
Connell was summoned from the Tennessee bullpen for the lefty-on-lefty matchup against Ben Anderson. The southpaw struck him out as Anderson was desperately attempting to lay down a bunt – even with two strikes. Sewell then came into strikeout Charlie Condon (.400+ average on the season) before walking Connor Tate to load the bases. The fifth-year then induced a grounder to get out of the inning, unscathed. What an inning for the Tennessee relief pitchers.
It wasn’t Lindsey’s best effort on the mound tonight, but it was good enough to win – especially when he wasn’t getting a lot of run support. The righty finished the day going 4.0+ innings of six-hit baseball, allowing one run with two walks and one strikeout on 62 pitches (38 strikes).
Offense comes alive in the seventh
Tennessee wasn’t doing much at the plate, thus clinging to a one-run lead at 2-1 entering the seventh inning. That’s when the Vols absolutely tee’d off on lefty Luke Wagner who was left in the ballgame about four batters too long. In all, UT plated five runs off six hits in the frame, opening things up to a six-run lead at 7-1 by stretch time.
With one away, Maui Ahuna doubled to the left field corner and Hunter Ensley was hit by a pitch – putting runners at the corners. Jared Dickey and Blake Burke followed with consecutive singles to score a pair of runs. Christian Moore blasted a two-run home run (that could have been a three-run shot if not for a base running mistake) and Christian Scott drove in a run on a single to right field. It was all Vols in that frame.
With Moore’s home run, the second baseman has now launched 11 home runs on the year and has hit one in four-straight games. The Brooklyn native has actually hit five home runs during the stretch, as he blasted two against Mississippi State on Saturday. Moore was crushing the ball in game one, but hitting it right at defenders his first three trips to the plate. His fourth, he didn’t give anyone a chance to make a play.
Moore homered again over the batter’s eye in the ninth inning, adding to that total of now six home runs during a four-game home run streak.
Alright, let’s track the trends
Tennessee picked up another win on Friday and is off to an excellent start in the series at Georgia, but the win also extended some impressive streaks or kept some noteworthy trends alive for the Vols. Firstly, the win-streak was extended to nine-straight games overall and seven-straight games in Southeastern Conference play. As we’ve already mentioned above, Christian Moore has homered in four-straight games and his gone yard six times during the stretch with two more on Friday night.
Friday’s win over Georgia marked the eighth-straight game of 10 or more hits for the Big Orange. Tennessee has now plated double-digit runs in seven of their last eight games overall and five of their past six conference games. Five Volunteer batters were plunked by pitches in the win while Hunter Ensley (amazingly) was hit three times. And most importantly, Tennessee reeled in its second road win of the campaign. The Vols are now 2-9 on the road entering Saturday’s afternoon contest.
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