BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 5 Tennessee raced out to an early lead, scoring runs in the first three innings, and cruised to a 6-1 win over Texas A&M in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader at Blue Bell Park.

Making the start in his home state, Chad Dallas gave UT another great performance on the mound, tossing seven strong innings while holding the Aggies to just one run on five hits. The junior right hander finished with five strikeouts and did not allow a walk on the day while earning the win to improve his record to 6-1 on the year.

Jake Rucker and Evan Russell both had multiple hits and an RBI while the Big Orange homered twice with Rucker and Connor Pavolony both hitting solo shots. Rucker went 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, two runs scored to lead the charge.

The Vols jumped out to a quick lead thanks to solo home run from Rucker in the top of the first inning. It was his sixth long ball of the season and gave the Big Orange an early 1-0 advantage.

Tennessee (31-8 // 11-5 SEC) added to its lead with a three-spot in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. Evan Russell singled to lead off the inning and ended up scoring a throwing error by Aggies pitcher Dustin Saenz to make it 2-0. Max Ferguson doubled the lead with a clutch two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs later in the inning.

UT scored for the third straight inning to start the game thanks to a pair of doubles by Rucker and Russell in the top of the third. Rucker found the gap in left center to lead off the inning and scored on Russell’s liner down the left-field line to make it 5-0.

The Aggies (22-18 // 4-12 SEC) broke up the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Hunter Coleman scored from second on a single to right field by Kalae Harrison. Dallas was able to limit the damage to just that one run by picking off Harrison at first base then getting Ray Alejo to fly out to end the inning.

Pavolony gave the Vols their five-run lead right back with a solo blast to left field to lead off the sixth inning. The junior backstop has now homered in each of UT’s last three weekend series.

Senior right hander Sean Hunley did not allow a hit and had a pair of strikeouts over the final two innings to finish off the win.

Saenz was the losing pitcher for Texas A&M, falling to 5-5 on the year after allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings.

NOTABLE

PAV IS BACK: After having to leave last Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt after getting hit by a pitch in the hand, Connor Pavolony returned to the lineup on Saturday and looked to be just fine. The Georgia native narrowly missed hitting a home run to left center in the third inning before hammering his third home run of the season with a solo rocket in the sixth.

CHEESE SHOWS OUT IN HOME STATE: Chad Dallas gave the Vols another solid outing on Saturday, striking out five and allowing just one run on five hits in front of a large contingent of family and friends. Dallas hails from Orange, Texas, located about three hours southeast of Bryan-College Station.

Box Score (PDF)

-UT Athletics

Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. spoke after Tennessee’s Chevrolet Orange and White Spring Game Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel spoke after Tennessee’s Chevrolet Orange and White Spring Game Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 17th-ranked Tennessee softball team took down No. 21 Georgia Friday night at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, winning the series’ opener, 3-1.

Tennessee (34-7, 7-6 SEC) received another excellent performance in the circle from junior Ashley Rogers as she tossed her 17th complete game of the season and picked up win No. 20 on the year. The Athens, Tennessee, native surrendered just a single run on five hits, while walking none and striking out six.

At the plate, Ashley Morgan went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, a run scored and a solo home run in the second inning.

Georgia (28-13, 6-10 SEC) struck first in the game, pushing across one run in the first inning. The Bulldogs’ Savana Sikes led off with a single to left and was followed by Sydney Kuma who singled to right, which advanced Sikes to third.

A passed ball to the next batter allowed Sikes to score and give Georgia an early one-run lead with nobody out.

Rogers was able to pitch her way out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a pop out, limiting the damage and holding the Bulldogs to one run.

In the second, Morgan hit back for the Lady Vols as she smashed a solo homer over the right field wall. Coming into the game, Morgan had never gotten a hit off of UGA starting pitcher Mary Wilson Avant, but ended that streak with the game-tying home run.

After a quiet third and fourth innings, UT took the lead in the fifth thanks to an Ally Shipman triple and another big hit from Morgan.

With two away in the inning and Chelsea Seggern standing on first after drawing a walk, Shipman launched a ball into deep center field which sent the center fielder leaping into the air to catch. The center fielder was unable to come down with the grab as Seggern raced around the bases to score Tennessee’s second run of the game.

Shipman pulled into third on the play to set up Morgan who delivered another key hit against Avant. Morgan roped a double into left field, scoring Shipman from third and giving UT its final margin of victory at 3-1.

For UGA, Avant tossed six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. The graduate senior struck out six and walked four as she suffered the loss and drops to 15-6 on the year.

UP NEXT
Tennessee and Georgia are slated to play game two of the series at 2 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The game can also be seen on ESPN2.

Box Score | Overall Stats | SEC Stats 

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Five spring weeks of implementing a fast, up-tempo and fun culture under first-year head coach Josh Heupel culminates at 4 p.m. ET Saturday as Tennessee football hosts the Chevrolet Orange & White Game in Neyland Stadium. For complete game day information, visit utsports.com/gameday.

“It’s an opportunity for our team in a real, live situation to go earn trust from their teammates and their coaching staff,” Heupel said. “I’m excited that we get to have the state of Tennessee and Vol Nation here inside of this stadium. It’s going to be a great day, and I look forward to seeing everyone there.”

On The Air
Saturday’s Orange & White Game will be carried live on SEC Network+ with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Mike Golic Jr. (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1). Live streaming is available on utsports.com and the UT Athletics app. The Vol Network goes live at 4 p.m. with Bob Kesling handling play-by-play duties.

Fan Information
Admission is free and gates to Neyland Stadium open at 2:30 p.m. The main bowl of Neyland Stadium will be general admission seating utilizing every other row. Face coverings will be required at entry and during movement through the stadium. Normal game day policies will be in effect, including the clear bag policy. The first 5,000 fans to enter gates 10 and 21 will receive free sunglasses courtesy of Coca-Cola. Fans that take a photo with the sunglasses and share on social media with #GBO will be entered to win a year’s supply of Coca-Cola. Visit utsports.com/gameday for more information.

Parking
Free parking areas open at 10 a.m. For more information on game day parking, click here. View a PDF parking map here (PDF).

Game Format
Offense will wear orange jerseys and defense will wear white jerseys. Normal game scoring will apply with offense alternating possessions for Orange and White. The first half will be timed normally with two 15-minute quarters. There will be a 10-minute halftime before third and fourth quarters that feature a running clock.

Vol Village
Tennessee’s family-friendly pregame tailgate at Vol Village will open at 12:30 p.m. in Lot 9 (directly west of Neyland Stadium) and will feature music provided by VFL Sterling Henton, photo opportunities, Smokey, food vendors, giveaways and other activities.

Season Tickets
Season tickets for the centennial celebration of Neyland Stadium and the start of the Heupel era are on sale now at AllVols.com.  Season tickets start as low as $300, with the Vol Pass and payment plan options offered. Fans interested in season tickets can schedule an appointment time to speak with a representative on the day of the spring game here.

-UT Athletics