HOUSTON – No. 6 Tennessee bounced back from its first loss of the year in a big way on Saturday afternoon, defeating Baylor 10-5 at the Shriners Children’s College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first, the Vols’ explosive offense stole the show, scoring 10 unanswered runs in what turned out to be a comfortable victory.
Redshirt freshman Jared Dickey moved into the leadoff spot and was excellent throughout the game, finishing the day 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Jorel Ortega, who hit right behind Dickey in the two-hole, was equally as impressive, finishing with two doubles of his own and two RBIs.
Evan Russell and Christian Scott both drove in a pair of runs, as well. Russell doubled high off the wall in left center to plate two runs before Scott hit his third home run of the year one batter later to give UT a 9-4 lead in the third inning.
Drew Gilbert and Luc Lipcius added two hits apiece and combined to score three runs and drive in a pair as the Big Orange (9-1) got production from up and down the lineup.
Vols’ starting pitcher Chase Dollander settled in after a rough first inning in which he allowed four runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter. The sophomore right hander let just one runner to reach base over the next two innings before being lifted due to a high pitch count.
Junior lefty Kirby Connell was fantastic in relief, striking out four batters and allowing just one run over 4.2 innings of work to pick up the win. Ben Joyce and Redmond Walsh pitched the final 1.1 innings to close things out. Walsh had a pair of punchouts in a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Baylor (5-5) starter Jake Jackson fell to 1-2 on the year after allowing nine runs on eight hits in just 2.2 innings. Antonio Valdez led the Bears at the plate with two hits, a run and two RBIs.
UP NEXT: The Vols wrap up their weekend at the Shriners Children’s College Classic on Sunday with a high noon showdown against Oklahoma.
Fans can watch the game on the MLB Network or stream the game on Astros.com, the Astros Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, and the MLB app. Tickets for the games can be purchased by clicking HERE.
NOTABLE
THE STACHE: Junior lefty Kirby Connell continued his stellar start to the season with a career high 4.2 innings of relief to earn his first win of the year. The South Carolina native had four strikeouts and gave up just one run on four hits. For the season, Connell has posted a 0.96 ERA, allowing just one run on five hits in 9.1 innings pitched.
BATS COME ALIVE: After struggling in Friday’s loss to No. 1 Texas, the Vols’ potent offense was back to its normal ways on Saturday against Baylor, tagging Bears’ pitchers for 10 runs on 12 hits. Seven different players record a hit and four finished with multiple base knocks on the day. After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first, Tennessee answered right back with four runs of its own in the bottom of the first and never looked back, scoring 10 unanswered to take a 10-4 lead at one point.
-UT Athletics
