KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In the Dark Mode jerseys for the first time in 2025, Tennessee baseball defeated Lipscomb 11-1 run-rule win Tuesday in Knoxville.
The Vols took the lead in the opening frame and never looked back, breezing its way through a stress-free nine innings to earn a win that was capped off by a six-run seventh inning.
Andrew Fischer led the way with three RBIs while Cannon Peebles, Hunter Ensley and Levi Clark all homered in the seventh. JuCo transfer arms Austin Breedlove and Michael Sharman shined on the mound, recording six scoreless innings combined.
Here’s how it happened as Tennessee got revenge for the April 2024 midweek loss against the Bisons in Knoxville.
Consistent Offense Early
Tennessee opened the scoring with a three-run first inning. Andrew Fischer got the Vols on the board with a 369-foot two-run homer into the Tennessee bullpen, scoring himself and Gavin Kilen, who singled.
Dalton Bargo later added to the lead with an RBI single to score Hunter Ensley, who doubled.
Fischer tallied his third RBI on the night in the third, knocking a single to left-center to score Dean Curley who had worked a leadoff walk.
A Cannon Peebles leadoff single in the fourth then turned into another run when Kilen later brought him home with a single.
Tennessee’s offense was historically bad in last weekend’s series loss to Kentucky. While the Vols didn’t set the world on fire at the plate until the seventh inning Tuesday, the consistency out of the gate was good to see.
Breedlove, Sharman Shine on the Mound
Junior righty Austin Breedlove got the start on the mound for the Vols and turned in a long start for a midweek.
The Ooltewah, Tennessee native tossed a scoreless 3.0 innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out four. He threw a season-high 39 pitches and 27 were strikes. Three innings tied the junior’s season high.
Fellow JuCo transfer Michael Sharman was the first out of the bullpen to open the fourth inning. Like Breedlove, Sharman turned in arguably one of his best performances of the season.
The Woodstock, Georgia native allowed no runs on just two hits in a season-high 3.0 innings. The junior struck out two and walked one.
Breedlove and Sharman have been among the top options during midweek games but fringe guys in SEC play this season. While large roles are not likely in store for either, it would not be surprising if Breedlove or Sharman is called upon to get some significant outs at some point down the stretch of the regular season.
Six-Run Seventh Inning Ends the Game
After doing nothing in the fifth and sixth innings, Tennessee used three two-run homers in the seventh to run-rule Lipscomb.
Fischer continued his big night with a leadoff double before moving to third on a wild pitch.
The junior was brought home shortly thereafter when Ensley roped a two-run homer to the left-field porches. The Huntingdon, Tennessee native’s 8th bomb of the year marked his second in as many games and extended Tennessee’s lead to 7-1.
The damage didn’t stop there. After a pair of pitching changes due to an injury for Lipscomb, Peebles destroyed a two-run homer over the home bullpen to extend the lead to eight runs.
Peebles’ 373-foot bomb marked his 8th of the year, Tennessee’s third of the night and second of the inning.
A Jay Abernathy single put Tennessee a swing away from a run-rule victory, and freshman Levi Clark provided that swing.
Pinch-hitting for Dean Curley, Clark smoked a two-run homer to left field to end the game. Like Ensley and Peebles’ Clark’s bomb was his 8th of the year.
Up Next
Tennessee will look to bounce back from last week’s Kentucky series loss when the Vols travel to Baton Rouge and battle LSU in a three-game series. First pitch for Friday night’s series opener is at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
