No. 19 Vols make easy work of Northern Kentucky
19th-ranked Tennessee baseball continued its early season success with a dominant midweek win over Northern Kentucky.
The SEC’s second-highest scoring team steamrolled the Norse (0-7) to the tune of a 15-1 final score.
After an impressive showing in the Round Rock Classic this past weekend, the Vols (7-0) showed no signs of slowing down.
Freshman Christian Delashmit drew his first start of his Tennessee career on the mound. The Covington, Tenn. native flamed seven Norse batters in his debut and only allowed three hits in 4.2 innings of action.
“I was telling them in the locker room, this is probably the most hype that I’ve been for a start since my freshman year of high school,” Delashmit said. “My adrenaline got pumping. It was unreal.”
He got to work early, striking out two batters in the top of the opening frame.
At the plate, Tennessee opened up the scoring when junior Alerick Soularie’s RBI single brought Jake Rucker across the plate to make the score 1-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, senior Landon Gray solo homered over the right center wall for his first of the season.
The Vols would go on to put their stamp on the game with a combined 10 runs scored in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Northern Kentucky surrendered five runs off of bases loaded walks.
Senior Pete Darkey, who currently leads the team in batting average, blasted a two run shot to right field in the sixth to officially tie the bow on the victory.
His home run gave Tennessee their 13th so far this year.
Darkey has had no problem filling his role as a hitter off the bench.
“If the team needs me to come off the bench and get a big hit, then that’s what my job is and I’m going to do that to the best of my ability,” Darkey said.
Tennessee returns to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for the second of 10 straight home games tomorrow as they welcome UNC Asheville to Knoxville. First pitch is set to be thrown at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletics