Game Recap: Baseball | February 23, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/9 Tennessee started its first home weekend series with a win after holding off the UAlbany Great Danes, 8-5, on Friday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
For the second consecutive game, the Vols used a big third inning to take ahold of the game, scoring five runs to break open a scoreless contest. Dylan Dreiling and Billy Amick both drove in runs with RBI singles before a wild play where the Great Danes committed two errors allowed three more runs to score.
After UAlbany’s Mike Prisco homered in the sixth to cut the UT lead to 5-2, the Big Orange added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to give themselves some more breathing room. Christian Moore scored on a wild pitch before Blake Burke hit his first home run of the year moments later to plate two runs and increase the lead to six.
The Great Danes (0-1) kept scratching away with two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth, but AJ Causey was able to close the door for his first save as a Vol, recording a strikeout to end the game.
Causey pitched the final three innings, allowing three hits and three runs (one earned) with a walk and two strikeouts. Fellow transfer Chris Stamos picked up his first win at Tennessee after tossing three solid innings in relief of starter AJ Russell, who had to leave the game after three shutout innings due to some soreness.
The middle of UT’s lineup, consisting of Moore, Kavares Tears and Amick, combined to go 6-for-13 at the dish with five runs scored, posting two hits apiece.
Prisco had two hits and drove in three of UAlbany’s five runs while leadoff man Ryan Ferremi added a hit and an RBI.
UP NEXT: The Vols (5-1) will look to secure a series win tomorrow when the two teams square off at noon ET on the SEC Network+ and ESPN app. Note that Saturday’s first pitch time was moved up two hours from its originally scheduled 2 p.m. start due to the potential for cold temperatures later in the day.
STAT OF THE GAME: After scoring 11 runs in the third inning of Wednesday’s win over ETSU and five in the third inning of today’s victory, UT has combined for 16 runs in the third inning over its last two games. The Vols have scored at least one run in the third inning in each of their last four games with 20 total third-inning runs in that span.
