Regional Recap: Vols overpower Northern Kentucky, 9-3

Tennessee sets a new LNS attendance record with a crowd of 6,393

AJ Causey threw his sixth-straight outing of allowing four runs or less — going 6.2 IP with nine strikeouts — while Billy Amick, Dylan Dreiling and Hunter Ensley hit three HRs and combined for six of the Vols’ eight earned runs in UT’s 9-3 win in its opening game of the Knoxville Regional.

Tennessee stuck to its regular pitching rotation to begin Regional play, with Chris Stamos in his opener role. But he managed just one out as he got touched up for a lead-off home run in the top of the first and a subsequent double. This forced Tony Vitello to go to AJ Causey a bit early, but it didn’t seem to bother AJ. He got the final two outs of the frame, one via strikeout, and then struck out the side in the top of the second.

The offense stranded two in the home half of the first, but Kavares Tears led the B2 off with a single. He scored an out later off a Reese Chapman single to left that was bungled by the outfielder and allowed Tears to cross home and tie the game.

After striking out four of the first five batters he faced, Causey led the third off with a walk to nine-hole hitter John Odom, who quickly stole second and got to third on a grounder to third. It didn’t matter — Causey got another swinging K to end the T3 with another nasty breaking ball.

Blake Burke worked a full-count, seven-pitch walk to kick off the bottom half of the frame, and Billy Amick battled out of an 0-2 count to get to first after he got plunked in the shoulder. A wild pitch allowed Burke and Amick to get into scoring position, then Hunter Ensley loaded the bases with another full-count walk. The third walk of the frame from Northern Kentucky starter Tanner Gillis forced a run home and gave the Vols their first lead of the game. Reese Chapman struck out to end the inning, but a Curley sac fly prior gave UT two runs without a hit.

Causey kept dealing with two more Ks in the top of the fourth — which gave him seven to the 12 batters faced thus far — and retired the NKU side in order for the second time.

Tennessee broke the game open in the B4 when Moore doubled and Burke worked another full-count BB. Billy Amick subsequently sent out a three-run moon shot that left the bat at 106 MPH, had a nearly 40-degree launch angle and might have put a dent in the batter’s eye in center.

NKU pulled Gillis after Dylan Dreiling doubled following Amick’s dinger, and reliever Nick McClanahan shut things down when he got the final two outs needed.

A first-pitch, lead-off single from shortstop Brennan Rowe, who subsequently stole second and advanced to third on a ground-ball out put an NKU runner at third with one out. But Causey got his 8th strikeout, this one on three pitches, and a come-backer out to get through the fifth unscathed.

After a scoreless B5 from the offense, Causey gave up a lead-off single but picked the runner off for the first out. The next batter — three-hole hitter Liam McFadden-Ackman — took AJ deep with a solo shot to right. Causey got the next two outs on five pitches.

McClanahan got Moore swinging on a pitch out of the zone to end the fifth and started the sixth by doing the same to Burke. The NKU reliever finished the frame with a swinging K from Dreiling.

The seventh started with a ball hit deep to center that glanced off Ensley’s glove as he attempted a diving catch and put a runner 90 feet from home with just one out. A grounder to first scored another run for Northern Kentucky, which made it a 6-3 game. Causey ended the inning with another three-pitch, swinging strikeout.

Ensley immediately took that run back with a missile over the fence in right that was the Vols’ first hit and run off McClanahan through his 2.2 innings of relief.

McClanahan bounced back with three-straight strikeouts to end the seventh, with a Vol stranded on first, but UT’s four-run lead remained.

Since Causey had such an early entry, the ideal scenario of him finishing out the game was out the window. His final line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 Ks. Connell got the ball to start the eighth after AJ tossed a season-high 111 pitches. Kirby threw a six-pitch, one-out walk to Treyvin Moss, who had stolen a base early in the game but got picked off for the second time, this one by a brilliant move to first from Kirby. Connell battled through a double-digit-ish at bat with McFadden-Ackman for an inning-ending K.

Connell ended the game with one K in the final Northern Kentucky at bat — Kirby went 2 IP with 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB and 2 Ks in 34 total pitches.

Indiana beat Southern Miss 10-4 earlier in the day, so Tennessee will face the Hoosiers in game two tomorrow with Drew Beam on the mound for the Vols.