CULLOWHEE, N.C. – No. 3 Tennessee put on an offensive show in a wild 14-12 midweek win over Western Carolina in Cullowhee on Tuesday night.
The Vols scored in every inning but the first and racked up 16 hits on the night. Five different players had multiple hits and drove in runs for the Big Orange.
No player had a more impressive night than Max Ferguson, who batted leadoff for the Vols and went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, a homer and six RBI, finishing a triple short of the cycle.
Jackson Greer (two hits, two RBI), Jake Rucker (three hits, one run, one RBI), Jordan Beck (two hits, two runs, two RBI, one home run) and Kyle Booker (three hits, three runs, one RBI) also had big nights at the dish.
The homestanding Catamounts jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first and kept the pressure on UT throughout the night despite trailing for the majority of the game.
WCU (18-8) briefly tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Vols responded with four runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good. All four runs in the inning came with two outs.
Redmond Walsh pitched an inning of relief and earned the win to improve to 3-1 on the year while Kirby Connell recorded the final out of the game to earn his second save.
Despite the loss, shortstop Pascanel Ferreras led an explosive attack for the Catamounts, finishing 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI on the night. Tuesday’s loss was just the second at home for Western Carolina this season after entering the game with a 13-1 record at Hennon Stadium.
Next up for the Vols is a highly anticipated matchup with in-state and SEC rival No. 2 Vanderbilt this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
NOTABLE
FERGIE’S BIG NIGHT: Junior second baseman Max Ferguson had a career night on Tuesday, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, a homer and six RBI while finishing a triple short of the cycle. Ferguson’s four hits and six RBI both were career highs.
TWO-OUT RUNS: Eight of Tennessee’s 14 runs on Tuesday came with two outs.
-UT Athletics
