TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 5/5 Tennessee’s 17-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-3 loss to No. 12/14 Alabama on Saturday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide (16-3, 1-1 SEC) scored all six of their runs in the first three innings, five of which came with two outs, as the Volunteers (18-2, 1-1 SEC) dug themselves into an early hole that they were unable to climb out of despite a comeback effort in the later innings.
Leadoff man Christian Moore rebounded from a hitless night on Friday by going 4-for-5 with two singles, a double and a solo home run in the seventh inning to lead the offense.
Blake Burke was the only other UT player to finish with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with a single and a double on the night.
Robin Villeneuve got the Vols on the board with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning and Dylan Dreiling drove in Tennessee’s final run with an RBI fielder’s choice in the top of the eighth to cut the deficit to three.
Starting pitcher Drew Beam was stuck with the loss despite throwing his third career complete game. The junior righthander rebounded incredibly well after a rough start to the game and retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced, including 13 in a row to end his outing.
Beam allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a pair of walks. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native, finished with six strikeouts on the night, as well.
Greg Farone started for Alabama and recorded the win after tossing 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out four. Lefty reliever Alton Davis II closed the door with two shutout innings to finish the game.
Freshman shortstop Justin Lebron was the star of the game for the Tide, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs while also making some impressive defensive plays.
UP NEXT: Tennessee and Alabama will square off in a series-deciding rubber game on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
STAT OF THE GAME: With a pair of solo homers in Saturday’s contest, the Vols extended their long ball streak by going deep in all 20 games this season. UT is the only SEC team to homer in every game this season.
