Pitching pushes Vols over UNC Asheville ahead of trip to Baton Rouge
With possibly the most intriguing series of the year on the horizon, Tennessee welcomed UNC Asheville to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a mid-week clash.
Following the Tuesday evening affair, the Vols will travel to Baton Rouge to take on top-ranked LSU in a weekend series.
In the match against the Bulldogs, Tennessee (20-6) shut out UNC Asheville (15-9) 5-0 to win its fifth-straight game.
With the run production by the Vols limited, they relied on a stellar pitching performance to get the win.
In the game, nine pitchers saw the mound. They combined for 15 strikeouts, one hit and no runs.
The pitchers to toe the rubber were Zander Sechrist, Bryce Jenkins, Jacob Bimbi, Aaron Combs, AJ Russell, Kirby Connell, Hollis Fanning, Zach Joyce and Jake Fitzgibbons.
"I think our guys got more in a rhythm," said Tony Vitello. "... When each guy is doing his job... it has a multitude of things that it effects."
The only player to allow a hit was Sechrist. He let up a leadoff single in the second inning but quickly recorded a pair of outs before Jenkins finished the job.
Following this single, Tennessee managed 24 outs without giving up a hit. The only pitchers to give up a base runner were Bimbi who walked two and Fitzgibbons who walked one.
Despite this, Bimbi finished with his first win of the year.
This caliber of pitching was needed as it took Tennessee five innings to get on the board.
The first run came off the bat of Christian Scott. With two outs, he slapped a ball 370 feet to right field for his third home run of the year. The solo shot gave the team a 1-0 lead.
"It felt good," said Scott. "Just giving the team a spark... Coming in and hitting the home run, it felt good."
From here, the Vols' bats began to wake up.
In the next inning, Blake Burke added another run to the lead with his own solo home run. His line drive had just a 21-degree launch angle but carried 384 feet after coming off the bat at 112 mph.
Following this, the Vols continued to pile on in the bottom of the sixth. Another run was added in the form of a bases-loaded balk and Cal Stark pushed in the third run of the inning on a groundout to short.
The next frame featured the final run being moved across the plate.
With the bases loaded, Zane Denton hit a weak grounder to first base. Cameron Johnson couldn't handle it and everyone reached safely on the error.
Leading the way at the plate alongside the two home-run hitters was Maui Ahuna. The leadoff man finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a single, double and walk. He also scored a run.
Next, Tennessee will attempt to knock off top-ranked LSU. The first match will take place on Thursday starting at 8 p.m. ET airing on ESPNU.
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