Tennessee went its second-straight game without hitting a home run, but a three-run first inning and five frames of no-run ball from Nate Snead, Aaron Combs and Kirby Connell out of the bullpen helped lift the Vols to a 3-2, series-sweep win over the Missouri Tigers.
UT starter Zander Sechrist gave up a run in the top of the first after he gave up a lead-off single and the Tigers stole second that allowed a single to score the game’s first run. Again today, Cal Stark was a critical piece of the win — after Mizzou’s Trevor Austin hit the run-scoring hit, he tried to steal second but Stark threw him out.
Run on Cal at your own peril.
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 27, 2024
Sechrist got a 1-0 fly-ball out to end the inning.
The offense scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the first, which started with back-to-back base hits from Christian Moore and Blake Burke. An out later, Kavares Tears singled to right, but a throwing error by Mizzou allowed all the runners to advance — Tears to second, Burke to third and Moore to home for the Vols’ first run.
Dylan Dreiling struck out, but Dean Curley followed with Tennessee’s fourth single of the inning and scored Burke and Tears, thanks in large part to that Missouri error.
Dean with a big two-out hit to plate a pair and we lead 3-1 after one!
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 27, 2024
Sechrist sat the Tigers down in order in the second, allowed a lead-off walk in the third but then retired three-straight to end the half inning. He gave up another walk in the fourth but worked around that to keep the Tigers at just the one run.
The UT offense managed two singles in the second but didn’t convert them into runs and then got retired in order in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
The Tigers got back on the board in the fifth, when Sechrist surrendered back-to-back walks to lead off the frame, and Tony Vitello gave him the hook in favor of Nate Snead. Stark put his mark on the game again, taking advantage of a Tiger baserunner’s indecisiveness between second and third base.
Cal having himself a day behind the dish!
https://t.co/oRZSBqTfad (SECN)#GBO // #OTH // #BeatMizzou pic.twitter.com/1PEW0U6zK3
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 27, 2024
The next batter doubled, and an error from Christian Moore allowed the runner on first to score. Snead got the next batter out on a fielder’s choice when the Vols got the lead runner out at home and then induced a fly-ball out on a 3-1 count to end the inning with Tennessee still ahead, 3-2.
Snead immediately ran into trouble in the T6 when he walked the leadoff man. A sacrifice play later, and Missouri had a runner in scoring position. Snead gave up a single, but the defense got the runner out at home, again, after Missouri tried sending its runner from third to score.
Vitello brought in Aaron Combs, and Combs walked the first batter he faced to give the Tigers two on with two outs. But Combs came in clutch with a three-pitch strikeout to end the Mizzou threat.
Combs worked the seventh and allowed a hit but got a three-pitch K for the second out and a ground-ball out to get out of the half inning.
The offense loaded the bases in the bottom half of the seventh off two walks and a HBP, but Moore struck out and Burke grounded out to leave the inning with three Vols stranded.
Kirby Connell worked the eighth and ninth inning, and had to scramble a bit in the eighth to keep the one-run lead intact. Two consecutive one-out base hits followed by a fielder’s choice out had two Tigers in scoring position with two outs. but Connell got the final out on a three-pitch, backwards K.
The Stache getting the job done!
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 27, 2024
Connell needed just nine pitches to shut the door on the game, and he did it in style with a swinging strikeout for the final out.
The final out, courtesy of Kirby #GBO // #VolsWin pic.twitter.com/ONpLkCrgyt
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 27, 2024
Kavares Tears and Christian Moore were the only two Vols who managed more than one hit in the game.
Sechrist’s final line: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Nate earned his seventh win of the season with 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB and no strikeouts. Connell got the save, his third this year, by throwing two innings of two hit ball without walking a batter or allowing a run and striking out two.
Tennessee gets Lipscomb at home Tuesday before heading to Gainesville for a weekend series against Florida.