Tennessee baseball’s offense came alive on Tuesday night as the Vols knocked off Kansas State 15-5 in a challenging midweek matchup.
Here’s how the Vols got it done in their most challenging midweek matchup of the season.
More From RTI: Billy Amick Earns SEC Player Of The Week Honors
A Lightning Strike Response
It took all of four batters for Kansas State to take a two-run lead against Tennessee on Tuesday night and it looked like it might get worse before it got better as the Wildcats had a pair of runners on base in the second inning before Aaron Combs got out of a jam.
Then Tennessee’s offense answered with a two-inning lightning strike on a night where inclement weather threatened the game. Cannon Peebles sparked things in the second inning with a one-out double before a Dylan Dreiling opposite field homer.
The Vols added one more run on a Blake Burke double that scored Hunter Ensley. Christian Moore was thrown out at home to end the second inning but that was merely the preliminary.
Tennessee exploded for six runs in the fourth inning on three home runs. Billy Amick led off the inning with a 428 foot moonshot. Dean Curley hit a 402 foot grand slam to do the bulk of the damage and Christian Moore hit a 452 foot solo homer.
Just like that, Tennessee’s offense exploded for nine runs in two innings to completely take control of the game. Kansas State never truly threatened the Vols after the third inning as Tennessee’s lead remained five-plus the rest of the way.
Dean Curley Leads The Home Run Barrage
Tennessee baseball’s offense was clicking on multiple cylinders on Tuesday night but they did the bulk of their damage via the long ball.
Freshman shortstop Dean Curley did the bulk of the damage, hitting three of the Vols’ six home runs in the win over Kansas State. It was an incredible night for Curley, who flirted with a home run cycle as he flied out to the warning track in his final at-bat and totaled nine RBIs in a three-of-five night.
Curley tied the program-record with three home runs in a single game. Here’s another crazy stat from Curley’s season. He currently has eight hits on the season with six being home runs and one being a triple.
The California native led the way for home runs but he was hardly the only Vol to go deep. Amick hit his eighth homer of the season while Moore and Dreiling each added their third long ball.
Not Dominant But An Effective Night From Tennessee’s Pitching Staff
Tennessee’s pitching staff didn’t do much to wow against Kansas State but they found a way to get outs and keep major runs off the board.
Aaron Combs earned his first career start but proved as more of an opener than anything else. It wasn’t a great night for the redshirt junior as he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in two innings pitched. But Combs combined to strand three runners thanks to four strikeouts on the night.
RHP Nate Snead got more work than anyone in Tennessee’s pitching staff against Kansas State and like Combs he wasn’t dominant but he was even more effective. The flamethrower allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in four innings pitched.
The Wichita State transfer frequently had to work around baserunners but he did a solid job of it thanks to a pair of double plays keeping the Vols’ lead in comfortable fashion.
LHP Andrew Behnke was perhaps the most impressive pitcher, allowing just one baserunner in two innings pitched. But that one baserunner was a mammoth home run. LHP Dylan Loy got the final three outs of the game, surrendering two walks but striking out all three batters.
Tennessee’s pitching staff wasn’t great against Kansas State but they were plenty good enough to earn a comfortable victory.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee returns to Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Wednesday night to face the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles. First pitch is at 6 p.m. ET.
