G1 Box Score (PDF) | G2 Box Score (PDF)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 3 Tennessee took care of business in Friday’s doubleheader against Rhode Island, winning both games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium to improve to 14-1 on the year.
Game 1 Recap
The Vols jumped out to an early lead and cruised to an 17-4 victory over the Rams in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader.
Tennessee scored in each of the first three innings and led 8-2 heading into the fourth to give themselves a comfortable advantage. By game’s end, 10 different Vols had scored runs as UT improved to 13-1 on the year.
The trio of Jared Dickey, Logan Steenstra and Seth Stephenson powered the offense, combining for seven hits, eight runs, two homers and eight RBIs. All three had multiple hits, runs and RBIs in the game.
Despite not having his best stuff, Chase Burns still earned the win to improve to 3-0 after five solid innings of work. The freshman right hander surrendered two unearned runs on four hits and four walks, but also struck out six on the day.
Camden Sewell tossed three innings of relief before freshman lefty Wyatt Evans pitched a scoreless ninth to end the game.
After UT jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, Steenstra extended the lead to 3-0 in the second with his second homer in as many games, a two-run shot into the porches in left center in the second inning.
The Rams clawed back to cut the deficit to one with a pair of runs in third, taking advantage of some uncharacteristically sloppy defensive play by the Big Orange.
The Vols answered right back in the bottom of the inning with five runs on five hits. Evan Russell, Blake Burke, Steenstra and Dickey all drove in runs in the inning to put UT ahead by six.
Rhode Island scored a pair of runs in the seventh to briefly cut the deficit to four, but the Vols exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the eighth to ice the game away.
The Rams had nine different players record a hit, but no one had more than one for the game. Eric Genther and Joe Fortin both had an RBI for URI.
Game 2 Recap
Tennessee completed Friday’s doubleheader sweep with another dominant performance, besting Rhode Island 8-3 in the second game of the day.
Sophomore right hander Chase Dollander got the starting nod and bounced back from a disappointing outing last weekend by striking out a season-high 12 batters in six innings of work. The Evans, Georgia, native improved to 2-0 on the year after allowing just one run on five hits and two walks.
The duo of Christian Moore and Christian Scott provided some big-time pop at the plate, combining for a pair of homers and a triple while driving in four runs. Evan Russell also had two hits and an RBI in the game.
An RBI double from Russell got the scoring started in the second inning before Moore’s first-career triple plated another run in the third to put the Vols up 2-0.
After the Rams cut UT’s lead to one with a run in the top of the fifth, the Big Orange immediately responded with a five-spot in the bottom of the inning to increase their lead to six. The Vols hit three home runs in the frame, including back-to-back bombs by Scott and Cortland Lawson to lead off the inning. Moore also homered later in the inning, his fifth of the year.
Scott added an RBI single in the sixth to plate Tennessee’s final run of the game and give the Orange and White an 8-1 lead.
Rhode Island (0-12) fought until the final out, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the ninth before grounding out with the bases loaded to end the game.
Hard-throwing right hander Ben Joyce was impressive out of the bullpen in his longest outing of the year, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
UP NEXT: The Vols and Rams will not play tomorrow due to expected frigid temperatures and possible snow in the area. The two teams will conclude their series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch will be at either 12:30 or 1 p.m. Follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter for updates.
NOTABLE
RACKING UP THE PUNCHOUTS: Tennessee’s pitching staff has been racking up the strikeouts this season. The Vols had nine in Game 1 and 15 in Game 2 on Friday. UT’s pitching staff has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 11 of its 15 games this season.
HOMERS IN BUNCHES: For the second time this week, Tennessee hit three home runs in a single inning. Christian Scott, Cortland Lawson and Christian Moore all went yard in the Vols’ five-run fifth inning in Game 2. After hitting five total home runs on Friday, UT increased its NCAA-leading total to 42 for the season.
-UT Athletics
