Beams tosses 9-K gem, offense blasts four more home runs, Vols beat Bowling Green 12-1

Is there a better 1-4 in any lineup than Moore, Burke, Amick and Tears?

Drew Beam tossed his best game of the year so far as he went 6 IP, gave up 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB with a season-high nine Ks and the offense mashed its way to a second-straight run-rule win with four more home runs as the Vols dropped Bowling Green 12-1.

Beam gave up one hit and one run on one swing of the bat when BGSU’s Dj Newman hit a lead-off home run. Beam got the following three outs, in order, on just four pitches.

UT’s offense didn’t waste any time getting rolling as it put up two runs in the B1 via back-to-back jacks from lead-off hitter Christian Moore and Blake Burke. Burke has worked his way back to the top of the lineup and hit second again tonight.

Beam gave up a hit in the second but worked around it with a strikeout, a ground-ball out and a fly-ball out — but he turned up the juice in the third, striking out three batters while navigating a two-out single.

The top of the lineup did more heavy lifting in the bottom half of the third with two more runs, this time it was a Burke double to left that set the table for Amick’s team-leading seventh home run of the season. His lead on Kavares Tears has grown this weekend, as this blast was Amick’s third of the series so far.

Beam added two more Ks in the T4, both on 1-2 counts and both with the batters not bothering to swing. The offense didn’t plate a run in the bottom half of the frame, which marked the second and last frame that it didn’t score any runs.

The defense once again gave its pitcher some solid assistance in the T5, when Beam surrendered a lead-off walk and a subsequent single. A double play and the seventh strikeout from Beam ended the half inning.

The bottom of the fifth was another two-out, run-producing inning for the offense. Amick singled to left with one out, and Cannon Peebles doubled him home after Amick got to second and in scoring position on a passed ball.

The top of the sixth ended up as Beam’s final inning, and he did what he does: a ground-ball out — his fifth of the game — and two more strikeouts:

In the B6, I guess the offense decided it didn’t feel like playing all nine innings and wanted a second consecutive run-rule win. All seven runs came with two outs, starting with another home run for Burke — this one traveled well into the parking lot in right field:

Dylan Dreiling plated two runs on a single after an Amick walk, an error that allowed Tears to get on base and a Peebles base hit.

But Dreiling’s single left two men on base, and Dalton Bargo was there to clean up with his only hit of the night — a double down the line in right field that scored Dreiling and Peebles.

The offense scored two more unearned runs thanks to a balk, a HBP and a wild pitch all in a row. Hunter Ensley scored Dean Curly on a double as the game’s final run.

Vitelllo had Aaron Combs finish the game, and Combs got a strikeout followed by a grounder and fly ball for the final two outs.

The Vols look to finish off the sweep tomorrow at 1 PM EST.