Published Mar 23, 2013
Basevols get series win
Grant Ramey
Special to VolQuest.com
Pierce Bily had half of Tennessee hits in Friday night's series-opening win over Missouri. He only had one in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, but he made it count.
Bily split the left-center gap with a double in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Scott Price from second to give Tennessee a 7-6 walk-off win.
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Bily, the Vols' junior college transfer from Anaheim, Calif., finished 1 for 4 at the plate, with a run scored and the game-winning RBI.
Freshman Vincent Jackson had four hits in four at-bats, including a two-run home run in the fourth to go with two runs scored. Price was 4 of 5, scoring the walk-off run.
Drake Owenby (2-0) came on in relief to pitch the ninth and pick up the win for Tennessee (13-9, 3-2 SEC).
Tennessee's Nick Williams got the start, his first of the year, before being pulled with one out in the fifth. He gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks. The junior right-hander from Farragut High School struck out two.
Brecken Williams (0-2) took the loss for Missouri (7-11, 1-3), giving up the two ninth-inning run on three hits.
Bily had three of Tennessee's six hits to go with a pair of RBIs in the Vols' 4-0 win to open the series Friday.
Saturday the teams traded rallies in the early game's final innings.
Dave Opel started the Mizzou ninth with a double and later the scored the go-ahead run on Kendall Keeton's ground ball to shortstop. UT's Taylor Smart went home with the throw, but wasn't in time to get Opel, as Missouri took a 6-5 lead.
The Tigers knotted it at 5-all in the top of the eighth. Michael McGraw ledoff the inning with a double and scored on Case Munson's sacrifice fly to left field.
Jackson cut into Missouri's 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth with his two-run home run off the scoreboard in right field. He singled and scored in the sixth, as Tennessee put up three runs on four-straight two-out hits.
David Houser doubled to score Jackson, Smart singled and Will Maddox tripled, giving the Vols their first lead of the day at 5-4.
The walk-off rally gives Tennessee the series win.