Tennessee came into Saturday’s game against Kentucky looking to bounce back from a loss on Friday night and take the series. The Vols were looking to take advantage of some rough pitching from the Wildcats, which they did in the 6th inning.
As Jake Rucker stepped up to the plate with bases loaded, the Vols were looking to add any kind of insurance runs, but Rucker had other plans. A rocket to right center turned into a grand slam for the Vols, as Rucker rounded the bases and Tennessee added to their lead. They weren’t done though, as Luc Lipcius rocked a two-run homer and the Vols were feeling better.
A seven run 6th inning propelled Tennessee to an 11-2 lead, which was all they needed to put away the Wildcats. On the mound, Blake Tidwell pitched five good innings for the Vols, before Redmond Walsh came in to finish the Wildcats over the last 3.2 innings. The two combined for ten strikeouts on the day, only giving up four hits.
The Vols moved to 34-11 (14-7) on the season, as they will head to Missouri next weekend for another key series. The next few weeks will be huge for Tennessee, as they look to wrap up seeding in the conference tournament and also NCAA Regionals, especially with Arkansas heading to town in two weeks.
