Tennessee sweeps Bowling Green with second-straight run-rule win, 16-6

Vols’ offense has another double-digit day, scores nearly 40 runs in three games

The UT bats stayed hot today and completed the three-game, series sweep of Bowling Green with another 10-plus run effort as the Vols took home another run-rule win with the 16-6 victory.

The runs came early and often, with Tennessee putting up nine runs in the first two innings. The bats have done two-out damage all series, and that continued today with Cannon Peebles doubling home the first run after Billy Amick and Kavares Tears singles.

Tears scored on a wild pitch next, which moved Peebles to third so Dylan Dreiling’s ground-rule double brought him home next. Another wild pitch put Dreiling at third, and a Dalton Bargo single scored Dreiling and capped off the fireworks in the first.

Tony Vitello started Derek Schaefer, and Schaefer didn’t last long. He walked the lead-off man, allowed a double, a run-scoring sac fly and another walk before Vitello pulled him for Andrew Behnke. BGSU plated one more run on a ground-ball out — charged to Schaefer — before Behnke got the inning’s final out with the assist from shortstop Dean Curly.

The B2 kicked off with a Christian Moore walk and a casual, run-scoring double rocketed off the bat of Blake Burke at 110 MPH to the wall in center:

Amick struck out, Tears walked, then the Vols pulled off a double steal with Burke ending up at third and Tears at second. Peebles drove in Burke for his second RBI of the game on a single, and then Dreiling finished off the scoring with a three-run shot to right-center.

A bases-loaded walk from Hunter Ensley scored a run in the fourth, but it was the sixth inning that sealed Bowling Green’s fate. UT scored four more runs — giving it 14 for the game and in line for another run-rule win — but this time, it did so with no long balls.

Bargo doubled to left to score a run, a sac fly from freshman infielder Camden Bates scored Bargo, Robin Villeneuve brought home Ethan Payne who’d singled earlier in the inning and a Cal Stark singled plated Colby Backus, who reached base via walk prior.

The Vols were three outs away from a win heading into the top of the seventh, but after Marcus Phillips tossed 2 IP and giving up just one hit and no runs with 3 Ks, Vitello brought in the typically-reliable Dylan Loy. Loy walked two batters, and Vitello replaced him with Zander Sechrist, who gave up two hits, two runs — one via HR — before he was subbed out for Austin Hunley. With the run-rule win still possible Hunley surrendered a single and a two-run triple to get BGSU out of an early-day loss. The Falcons scored one more run via error and finished the top of the seventh with four runs on four hits.

UT’s offense wouldn’t be denied, though, and scored two runs to make it a 10-run margin and end the game. A one-out Dreiling walk followed by a Bargo single set the table for a run-scoring single to right for Payne, and Backus needed just two pitches before he sent a double into right that scored Bargo and completed the series sweep.

Tennessee scored 39 runs in the three games from the weekend, while allowing just eight to Bowling Green, four of which came in today’s seventh inning.

UT takes the field again at LNS next Tuesday to face the currently 6-3, likely to be 7-3 by the end of the day, Kansas State Wildcats at 6 PM EST.