Vols Blow it Open in the Sixth Inning to Bury Xavier 10-1

Vols Baseball Blow it Open in the Sixth Inning to Bury Xavier 10-1

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– No. 1 Tennessee Baseball scored ten runs and dominated the Xavier Musketeers on Tuesday night in Lindsey Nelson Stadium to improve to a 38-3 record on the season. 

The Vols scored four runs in the first four innings before blowing it open in the sixth inning, tallying six runs. All six scores came with two outs. 

Tennessee struck first in the first inning with a Drew Gilbert RBI single that scored Seth Stephenson who had drawn a leadoff walk. The Vols plated two more in the second inning courtesy a two-run homer off the bat of Cortland Lawson. Lawson drilled a 2-2 pitch to the left field porches to score himself and Luc Lipcius who worked a one-out walk. UT plated another in the fourth off another RBI from Lawson, as the junior shortstop delivered a sac fly to deep right field with the bases loaded to score Trey Lipscomb who began the inning with a leadoff single. 

In the sixth inning, the Vols had two on with two outs and Charlie Taylor at the plate. Taylor made contact for a fly ball to right field headed right for Tyler Demartino's glove, but Xavier's junior right fielder could not secure the catch. The error scored both Vols on base in Christian Moore and Luc Lipcius. Taylor scored on the following at bat as Seth Stephenson cracked an RBI single to score the freshman catcher. 

Stephenson eventually worked himself into scoring position along with Christian Scott who was walked. Both Vols scored on a two-run double from Jordan Beck; a missile straight to the center field wall. Beck was the final Vol to score in the 30+ minute inning, as a Logan Steenstra RBI single scored the star junior. 

While Tennessee did not score another run after the sixth inning, Vols head coach Tony Vitello did make use of the big lead to get many bench guys time at the plate, including Hunter Ensley, Ethan Payne and Logan Chambers. 

On the mound, Zander Sechrist put together another solid outing for the Big Orange. The sophomore's final line is below. 

Final line from Zander Sechrist: 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 1 BB, 56 strikes on 75 TP, retired 16 of 19 BF in a career-high 5.1 innings pitched.

Another productive outing.

— Jack Foster (@jackfostermedia) April 27, 2022

Sechrist began the night with a four-pitch 1-2-3 inning to set the tone for what was another quality start. The Buford, Georgia, native retired all but three batters in his career-high 5.1 innings of work, looked composed on the mound and kept his pitch count low to go deeper into the game. 

Sechrist was followed up by six Volunteer arms, including Ben Joyce who struck out both batters he faced, touching 103 mph on the gun in the process. 

The Musketeers did not record a hit versus the Vols' bullpen until the ninth inning, when Xavier's Andrew Walker hit a two-out triple on Drew Patterson, and an RBI single from Alex Helmin on Hollis Fanning drove in the lone run for XU. 

Despite the shutout going out the window, there was never a doubt the No. 1 Vols would be victorious once again, as Tony Vitello's deep roster flexed their muscle to earn their 38th win of the season. 

Up next for the Vols is a home weekend series against No. 17 Auburn, with first pitch on Friday slated for 7:00 p.m. ET. 

Stat Corner: 

-Luc Lipcius drew three walks on the evening to bring his team-leading season total to 45. Next closest on Tennessee is Cortland Lawson with 26. 

-Cortland Lawson's home run brings his season total to eight. He becomes the seventh Volunteer with eight or more home runs on the season. 

-The Vols are 10-1 in midweek games. 

-Drew Gilbert recorded his 39th RBI of the season on Tuesday, which is second on the team behind Trey Lipscomb who has a staggering 61. 

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