Tennessee baseball coasted to a 13-3 midweek run-rule (8 innings) victory over Bellarmine on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols fell behind on the second pitch of the game but rolled from there including a six-run second inning that broke the game open. Here’s how Tennessee got it done against the Knights.
Andrew Behnke Gets Out Of Early Trouble
Left-handed reliever Andrew Behnke has had a topsy turvy season to this point but got a big early opportunity, coming in to pitch with one on and nobody out in the second inning with Bellarmine already leading 1-0.
Behnke made life more difficult on himself from the jump, walking the first batter he faced. A sac bunt moved the runners to second and third. A base hit would have put Tennessee in a real early hole in the midweek matchup. But Behnke came through in a big spot, striking out the next two batters to strand the runners in-scoring position.
In Behnke’s last two outings, he’s retired six of seven batters faced. In the two outings prior, Behnke had allowed four runs in one inning pitched.
With Tennessee’s bullpen thin on reliable arms and Behnke starting to throw the ball better, it’ll be interesting to see if he gets a situational weekend opportunity at some point before too long.
Tennessee’s Offense Explodes In The Second Inning
Tennessee carried over the momentum from getting out of the second inning jam with a six-run second inning that saw the Vols take a commanding lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
The Vols’ offensive explosion started from the jump with Dalton Bargo leading off the inning with a single and Reese Chapman immediately driving him in with a triple in the left-center gap. Manny Marin then drove Chapman home with a sac fly to the warning track in center field.
Dean Curley had a RBI single later in the inning before Andrew Fischer had the biggest swing of the inning, lining a three-run homer to right field. Even when Bellarmine finally got out of the inning, Tennessee had the bases loaded.
Three Knights pitched in the second inning, 12 Tennessee batters came to the plate and five recorded hits in the six-run inning.
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One Vol Stays Hot At The Plate, Another Bounces Back
Right fielder Reese Chapman had a massive weekend at Ole Miss, reaching seven times in 12 plate appearances and hitting the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of the series rubber match.
Chapman stayed hot, reaching base in all three of his plate appearances against Bellarmine with a walk, RBI triple and an RBI double off the top of the wall in right-center field.
On the other hand, Dean Curley struggled at the plate over the weekend. He didn’t record a hit until his third at-bat in game three, driving home a run with a single to center field. But making his third start of the season at second base, Curley had a great night.
He was back in the leadoff spot and went three-for-five at the plate with a RBI double and later reaching on a throwing error. Tennessee needs Curley back to hitting like one of its best players. It’s only a midweek game against a bad Bellarmine pitching staff, but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ll see if he can keep it rolling against Kentucky.
A Few More Defensive Miscues
While the scoreboard was lopsided, Tennessee didn’t play its best game. Most notably, the Vols continued their run of poor defense.
Bellarmine scored a run when Joey Milton stole third and Stone Lawless fired the ball into left field. In the sixth inning, Tennessee let a pop up drop between multiple defenders and foul territory and Manny Marin had a throwing error allowing a runner to reach base.
Defense is a question mark for the Vols at the moment and having a rough day after a rough weekend didn’t inspire confidence.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee baseball opens up a three-game series against Kentucky on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is at 6:30
