Drew Beam struck out eight batters — one off his season high — and Tennessee played some fantastic defense behind him as the Vols fended off the Missouri Tigers for the 3-2, series-clinching win.
The offense managed just three base runners against Missouri starter Logan Lunceford through the first three innings — a Billy Amick single in the bottom of the first, a four-pitch, leadoff walk to Dylan Dreiling in the second and another walk to Christian Moore in the third — and didn’t plate a run until the bottom of the fourth.
With two outs in the B4, Dreiling singled, Dean Curley followed with another single which he turned into a double as the throw from right field sailed over the cut-off man at second and landed near third. Dreiling scored the game’s first run and Curley advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then Hunter Ensley, who hit his sixth home run in Thursday’s 10-1 win, brought Curley home on a double to left:
Ensley with a big two-out knock to make it 2-0!
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 26, 2024
Drew Beam had one of his better outings of the season as he went seven innings before allowing a run. Even though he was over the 100-pitch mark, Vitello had him come back out for the eighth, and Beam gave up a single and a two-run home run an out later. I understand Vitello leaving him in, as Beam turned in a great overall performance and just had one of the best innings we’ve seen from him this year in the seventh when he struck out the side.
All in all, Tennessee’s junior sat Mizzou’s hitters down in order four times and ended with a final stat line of 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks with 70 of his 106 pitches going for strikes. His first five Ks came with the batter watching, while the final three all came with Tigers chasing Beam’s breaking ball. This was the ninth time in 11 starts that Beam went at least five innings and the third time he’s gone at least seven.
He worked his way out of traffic in the first with a strikeout to end the inning:
Just like last night, a big strikeout strands runners on the corners for Mizzou in the top of the first!
Vols coming to bat.
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 26, 2024
But he wouldn’t have had the outing he did without the guys behind him doing their parts. He got highlight help from his defense multiple times. Kavares Tears took away a hit with a diving catch in right field and then threw a strike to first for a double play:
That’s ✌️
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 26, 2024
Then in the T4, Beam rang the first batter up, walked the next on four pitches, got another strikeout but then gave up two consecutive singles to load the bases. The 1-1 pitch missed the outside corner of the plate, but Cal Stark didn’t miss as he caught the runner at first leaning with a strong throw from behind the plate for the final out of the inning.
Cal is always watching
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 26, 2024
Then in the sixth, Curley made a play that might catch Rick Barnes’ eye when the freshman shortstop climbed the ladder to once again take away a hit and end an inning with Mizzou stranding a runner on base.
Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman.
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— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 27, 2024
Kirby Connell came in after Beam served up the two-run shot and got the second out of the inning on an infield hit that Blake Burke fielded, but Connell beat the runner to first and dragged his toe across the bag to get the out in an impressively athletic move. He struck out the next batter to end the inning.
Connell fielded the ball in the infield twice for outs in the T9 before Vitello brought in Aaron Combs, who committed Tennessee’s only error of the game before shutting the door on the Tigers with a fly-ball out.
Beam notched his sixth win of the season, and Combs earned his second save.
The Vols’ offense scratched out six hits, two of which went for extra bases, stranded six runners and basically scored the winning run on a Burke sacrifice infield ground-out.
UT tries for the series sweep tomorrow at 12 PM EST.