OMAHA, Neb. – No. 2 Tennessee dropped its College World Series opener Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park, falling to No. 8 Virginia, 6-0.
In what was a low-scoring pitchers’ duel for most of the game, Virginia used a four-run seventh inning to separate itself on the scoreboard and advance to Tuesday’s winner’s bracket game.
The Vols recorded six hits on the day and had opportunities to score runs, but were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Tennessee (50-17) had two runners on base with no outs during the first, fifth and sixth innings, but could not put any runs across. The Vols stranded a runner on third base during each of those three innings.
Tennessee starter Chad Dallas pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. However, through six innings, the Texas native had given up only one run on five hits, but was pulled from the game midway through the Cavaliers’ big seventh inning.
For Virginia on the mound, Andrew Abbott got the start and picked up the win, striking out 10 batters in six shutout innings while allowing five hits and two walks.
Offensively for the Vols, Pete Derkay was the only player to record multiple hits, registering a pair of singles on the afternoon. Max Ferguson, Jake Rucker, Drew Gilbert and Connor Pavolony all had one hit each.
Virginia (36-25) plated the only run by either team during the first six innings of the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a solo home run to left field by Chris Newell.
Following Newell’s home run, the Vols held Virginia in check offensively until its big seventh inning, when the Cavaliers more than doubled their output in hits from the previous six innings—scoring four runs and tallying six hits. Virginia added on one more run in the ninth inning to push its final run tally to six.
Tennessee is back in action on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET for its second game in Omaha. The Vols will take on the loser of Sunday evening’s Texas-Mississippi State contest in an elimination game.
-UT Athletics
