Vols earn first SEC sweep of the season with 8-4 win over LSU Tigers

Another series win for Tennessee

Tennessee baseball won its fourth-straight SEC series and completed its first sweep in conference play behind two home runs from Christian Moore and 5.2 innings of six-hit, two run ball in the 8-4 victory against the Tigers Sunday.

Vols’ starter Zander Sechrist had four strikeouts through the first two innings after he started the game off with three Ks in the first frame:

He gave up two singles in the second but managed to work around the traffic and get out of the half innings without allowing a run, but in the fourth, he gave up two more singles, the second of which scored a run.

The Vols got on the board in the bottom of the third. Cal Stark got the wheels turning with a one-out single, and after Moore grounded out, Blake Burke hit his 12th home run of the season that also extended his hitting streak to 26 games, which is tied for the second-longest in program history.

Vols’ starter Zander Sechrist had four strikeouts through the first two innings after he started the game off with three Ks in the first frame:

He gave up two singles in the second but managed to work around the traffic and get out of the half innings without allowing a run, but in the fourth, he gave up two more singles, the second of which scored a run.

The defense had another good showing Sunday, with Moore saving a Zander from surrendering an infield base hit with this play that ricocheted off Sechrist’s bare hand before Moore got to it. It was another impressive stretch by Burke to make sure he stayed on the base and got the out.

Tennessee led 2-1 after four innings, and neither team scored another run until the sixth, when LSU hit a solo home run to tie the game. After the home run, Sechrist gave up a double, and Tony Vitello brought Andrew Behnke in, who ended the inning with a strikeout.

But UT’s offense answered back with Moore’s first home run of the day and 14th of the season. He clubbed this one 413 feet with a 113-MPH exit velocity to put the Vols back on top.

Behnke was in for just the one out, as Kirby Connell came in to start the seventh inning and sat the Tiger hitters down in order.

The bats kept rolling in the B7 with three runs that started with a lead-off single from Dean Curley and a walk from Hunter Ensley. LSU managed two outs, but Moore went deep again with this three-run home run deep to left. Today marked Moore’s second multi-home run game of the season.

Tommy White took Connell deep in the top of the eighth for a two-run homer, but again the offense responded with two runs of its own on a Cal Stark two-run double during which three LSU fielders couldn’t manage to snag a flyball to shallow left-center.

After White’s home run in the eighth, Vitello brought in Aaron Combs, who got all three outs to limit the damage, two of which came via strikeouts. He added one more K in the ninth and sat the LSU lineup down in order to end the game.

Sechrist’s final line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 Ks

Connell gave up two runs and two hits in his one inning pitched, and Combs pitched two innings without allowing a hit, run or a walk. He struck out three and threw 18 of his 25 pitches for strikes.

Tennessee plays Bellamine on Tuesday at 6 PM EST for its midweek game before going to Lexington for the weekend matchup to face Kentucky, which leads the East Division with a 13-1 record in conference play.