Live Updates, Score, Game Notes: No. 1 Tennessee Vols vs. Bellarmine
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– No. 1 Tennessee Baseball (D1Baseball.com) will take on the Bellarmine Knights in Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET for a midweek matchup. SECN+ has the stream.
The Vols will wear their alternate black uniforms for the second time this season against the Knights. Tennessee debuted the unis in game two against Kentucky this past weekend.
Tennessee enters Tuesday coming off their first series loss of the season, as the Vols lost two of three games to the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. Tennessee bounded back on Saturday to defeat Kentucky 7-2 in game three of the series to avoid getting swept for the first time since 2019. In Tennessee's Saturday win over the Wildcats, junior short stop Cortland Lawson hit his tenth home run of the season, becoming the sixth Vol to record double digit homers this season, which is a program record. The previous record was five by Tennessee's 2021 team.
Still, the Vols dropped to No. 2 in three of six Top 25 polls. Tennessee is No. 2 in Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCBWA but remain No. 1 in Perfect Game USA, the USA Today Coaches Poll and D1Baseball.com. D1 is the rankings we will use for Tennessee now and for the rest of the season.
**While Tennessee did not play on Sunday, they clinched the SEC East due to Vanderbilt's series winning victory over Georgia. The division win marks the second year in a row the Vols have won the east. Tennessee is three conference wins away from winning the SEC outright.**
Tennessee's starting lineup against Bellarmine is below.
Pitching matchup: Vols LHP Zander Sechrist (4-0, 1.46 ERA, 40 K, 7 BB, .168 b/avg., 6 R, 6 ER, 21 H, 37.0 IP) vs. BU RHP Devin Ecklar (1-4, 10.12 ERA, 21 K, 25 BB, .337 b/avg., 30 R, 27 ER, 34 H, 24.0 IP)
Lineup notes:
-Steenstra starting at 2B for the second consecutive midweek game. Steenstra moved to SS approximately halfway through the game last week.
-Seth Stephenson starts at LF for the fourth consecutive time and will leadoff again. Stephenson's four consecutive starts is the longest streak of started games for the junior this season.
-Blake Burke getting the nod at DH, as Vitello continues to be impressed by the freshman's performance at the plate as of late.
-Ortega, Russell get the night off. May see Ortega come in later in the game to take over first base.
The section below will be continuously updated with updates and the score between the Vols and Knights.
LIVE UPDATE THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Matt Higgins homers over the right field on the second pitch of his AB.
-Ashton Smith singles to center field.
-Jacob Mulcahy flies out to RF.
-Davis Crane strikes out looking.
-Clayton Mehlbauer reaches on a fielder's choice. Smith advances to second as Steenstra didn't tag the bag in time. Call under review.
-Call overturned. End of the top of the frame.
B1
-Seth Stephenson draws a leadoff walk. Vols have their first baserunner of the evening.
-Luc Lipcius rips a single to. RF. Stephenson uses his speed to advance to third.
-Jordan Beck sac flies to RF. Stephenson scores.
-Lipcius advances to second on a failed pickoff attempt.
-Drew Gilbert flies out to CF.
-Trey Lipscomb RBI doubles to right center field to score Lipcius.
-Blake Burke flies out to the warning track at RF to end the inning.
Score: Vols 2, Knights 1
2nd Inning:
T2
-Peyton Back flies out to left center.
-Jack Ockerman lines out to RF.
-Ethan English grounds out to SS.
B2
-Cortland Lawson pops up to SS.
-Logan Steenstra is walked.
-Charlie Taylor pops up to 2B.
-Seth Stephenson singles through the left side. Steenstra advances to second.
**Steven Thom to pitch for Ecklar** Lefty to face Lipcius
-Steenstra and Stephenson advance to second and third on a wild pitch.
-Luc Lipcius flies out to RF.
Score: Vols 2, Knights 1
3rd Inning:
T3
**Wyatt Evans to pitch for Zander Sechrist**
-Casey Sorg grounds out to 2B.
-Matt Higgins grounds out to Steenstra at second. Great lunging grab and throw by Steenstra.
-Ashton Smith strikes out swinging.
B3
-Jordan Beck singles through the right side.
-Drew Gilbert singles to left field, Beck advances to second.
-Trey Lipscomb strikes out swinging on an 0-2 count.
-Blake Burke is bit by pitch. Bases loaded for Cortland Lawson.
-Lawson singles to CF to score Beck. Bases still loaded with one out for Logan Steenstra.
-Drew Gilbert scores on a wild pitch. Burke and Lawson advance to third and second.
-Steenstra is walked to load the bases for Charlie Taylor.
**Bellarmine pitching change: Arren Hash to pitch for Thom**
-Charlie Taylor flies out to shallow right.
-Seth Stephenson pops up in the infield for the final out.
Score: Vols 4, Knights 1
4th Inning:
T4
**Ben Joyce on to pitch for Wyatt Evans**
-Jacob Mulcahy singles to right center on his first pitch of the AB.
-Ben Joyce gets Davis Crane swinging. Joyce touched 103 mph on the gun as his highest pitch.
-Clayton Mehlbauer hits a blooper single to right field to give Bellarmine runners on the corners with one out.
-Peyton Back RBI grounds out to 2B. Mulcahy scores.
**Kirby Connell to pitch for Ben Joyce**
-Ockerman grounds out to 2B to end the top of the frame and strand a Knight.
B4
-Luc Lipcius draws a leadoff walk.
-Jordan Beck reaches on a fielder's choice to 3B as Lipcius is out at second.
-Drew Gilbert flies out to CF.
-Trey Lipscomb RBI doubles to right center field to score Beck.
-Blake Burke strikes out looking.
Score: Vols 5, Knights 2
5th Inning:
T5
**Christian Scott to RF, Jorel Ortega to 1B**
-Ethan English singles to SS.
-Casey Sorg grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.
-Matt Higgins strikes out to end top of the inning.
B5
-Cortland Lawson flies out to left center.
-Logan Steenstra strikes out swinging.
-Charlie Taylor rips a liner to left field but it finds the glove of Matt Higgins.
Score: Vols 5, Knights 2
6th Inning:
T6
**Will Mabrey on to pitch for Kirby Connell**
**Christian Moore to 2B, Steenstra to SS**
-Ashton Smith flies out to LF.
-Jacob Mulcahy is walked.
-Davis Crane flies out to LF.
-Clayton Mehlbauer crushes a two-run homer to the left field porches to score himself and Mulcahy. Knights cut the lead to one run.
-Peyton Back singles through the left side.
-Jack Ockerman singles to SS. Back to third.
-Ethan English lines out high to Steenstra at SS, who makes an acrobatic leaping grab for the final out. Two Knights are stranded.
B6
-Seth Stephenson flies out.
-Jorel Ortega doubles to RF.
-Christian Scott draws a one-out walk.
-Drew Gilbert smacks a three-run homer over the scoreboard. His fifth bomb of the year.
-Trey Lipscomb also leaves the yard, hitting a solo homer over the left field wall. His 19th homer of the season.
-Blake Burke is HBP.
-Christian Moore commits batter's interference after striking out for a double play. Bellarmine's catcher was attempting to throw a stealing Burke out at second, but Moore got in the way.
Score: Vols 9, Knights 4
7th Inning:
T7
**Mark McLaughlin to pitch for Will Mabrey**
-Casey Sorg strikes out swinging.
-Matt Higgins doubles deep to right center.
-Ashton Smith singles to shallow RF. Higgins advances to third.
-Jacob Mulcahy RBI singles to shallow right to score Higgins. Smith advances to second.
-Davis Crane flies out to CF, Smith advances to third.
-Mulcahy advances to second on a wild pitch.
-Clayton Mehlbauer strikes out swinging.
B7
**Ryan Johnson on to pitch for Arren Hash**
-Logan Steenstra strikes out swinging.
-Charlie Taylor strikes out swinging.
-Kyle Booker singles through the right side.
-Jorel Ortega strikes out swinging.
Score: Vols 9, Knights 5
8th Inning:
T8
**Camden Sewell to pitch for Mark McLaughlin**
-Peyton Back strikes out swinging.
-Jack Ockerman grounds out to p.
-Ethan English grounds out to 3B.
B8
-Christian Scott pops up to SS.
-Drew Gilbert doubles down the RF line.
-Trey Lipscomb grounds out to SS. Gilbert advances to third.
-Blake Burke homers over the center field wall for a two-run shot.
-Christian Moore lays down a single to right field.
-Logan Steenstra lines out to CF.
Score: Vols 11, Knights 5
9th Inning:
T9
Sewell staying on the mound.
-Case Sorg singles to SS.
-Matt Higgins grounds into a 6-3 double play.
-Ashton Smith is HBP.
-Jacob Mulcahy strikes out swinging.
FINAL: Tennessee 11, Bellarmine 5
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