SCORE: Tennessee 6, Queens 3 | FINAL
Top-ranked Tennessee baseball (39-9, 17-7 SEC) is set to host the Queens Royals (12-36, 8-16 ASUN) of Queens University of Charlotte Tuesday night in a midweek bout in Knoxville.
First pitch is in Lindsey Nelson Stadium at 6:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network +. Reminder that the online broadcasts can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. You can also watch or listen to the game using the links.
The Vols are looking to continue their winning ways after beating Florida in two of three games last weekend to win the series in Gainesville. After splitting a Friday doubleheader with a 6-2 win and 4-3 loss, Tennessee used an 11-run sixth inning to run-rule the Gators in game three, 16-3.
Tennessee’s bats came alive as Florida’s pitching depth deteriorated late Saturday, and Hunter Ensley’s seven RBI led the way in the Vols’ statement win.
Thanks to another impressive and seventh straight series win from Tennessee and a pair of series losses from Texas A&M and Arkansas, the Vols catapulted their two SEC counterparts in the rankings to takeover the No. 1 spot. Tennessee is now the unanimous number 1 team in the country for the first time since early June of 2022.
The first time Tennessee achieved the nation’s top ranking was in the middle of the 2022 season, a ranking they kept until their super regionals loss to Notre Dame. Therefore, this week’s No. 1 ranking marks the second time the Vols have ever been number one.
For more on Tennessee being atop the polls for the second time in program history, click here.
Christian Moore Chasing History Amidst Home Run Race with Blake Burke
Prior to the significant series win on the road at Florida, Tennessee dropped a midweek contest to Lipscomb, 9-6. It was Tennessee’s first midweek loss of the season. Tuesday night’s matchup against Queens serves as Tennessee’s penultimate midweek bout of the year.
In addition to the Florida series wins, Tennessee owns series sweeps over defending national champions LSU and Missouri in Knoxville, series wins over No. 15 Georgia and Ole Miss at home, and series wins over No. 4 Kentucky and Auburn on the road.
Injury Note
-Sophomore RHP AJ Russell remains out as he deals with forearm soreness. Russell will likely be out for a while, but he didn’t suffer a very serious injury.
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, including what Tony Vitello said after Tennessee’s series-clinching win against the Gators last Saturday, click here.
More From RTI: Where Tennessee Baseball Stands In SEC Championship Race With Two Weeks Remaining
‘A Quintessential Vol’: Kavares Tears Is Tennessee Baseball’s Latest Homegrown Star
Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.
Starting Lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
RF Kavares Tears (L)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
CF Hunter Ensley (R)
SS Dean Curley (R)
DH Cannon Peebles (S)
C Charlie Taylor (R)
Lineup Notes:
- Cannon Peebles a midweek start as he has been, but this time at DH.
- Charlie Taylor gets the start behind the plate, his first since March 26 vs. Tennessee Tech.
- No rest days for the every day guys on the weekends outside of Cal Stark. (Moore, Burke, Amick, Tears, Dreiling, Ensley, Curley)
- Peebles gets the DH start over Colby Backus, Dalton Bargo, Reese Chapman and Robin Villeneuve with Taylor behind the dish.
- Tears is back getting some midfield action after not starting in the outfield for the entirety of the Florida series due to a hip issue.
QUEENS STARTING NINE:
SS Jake Barbour (L)
CF Dillon Lewis (R)
RF Matthew Corlew (R)
C Tyler Cotto (R)
1B Will Budnick (L)
DH Connor Manco (L)
2B Zach Weston (L)
3B Tyler Peters (R)
LF Andrew McDermott (L)
Pitching Matchup:
Vols So. RHP Marcus Phillips (0-0, 2.77 ERA, 12 app., 1 start, 2 SV, 13.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 8 BB, 13 K, .174 opp. batting avg., 1.23 WHIP)
vs.
Royals So. RHP Landry Jurecka (3-7, 7.21 ERA, 12 app., 12 starts, 63.2 IP, 85 H, 57 R, 51 ER, 22 BB, 66 K, .319 opp. batting avg., 1.68 WHIP)
Pitching notes:
- Phillips gets his second midweek start of the season. Phillips did not see any action last weekend in Gainesville as many other arms had success in long outings.
- Jurecka has been Queens’ Friday night guy all season. This is his first midweek appearance and start of the season. As his numbers indicate, he has had very little great outings. He’s had three good-to-great outings this season against FGCU, NIAGARA, and North Florida.
- This is Jurecka’s first action against P5 competition. The best team he’s pitched against is Austin Peay, who leads the nation in home runs. The Govs scored 11 ER on 11 hits vs. Jurecka.
Uniforms
Tennessee: Midweek pinstripes
Queens: Grey tops and bottoms with yellow (?) caps
*NOTE* There IS a RUN-RULE today. If Tennessee or Queens leads by 10 or more runs in the seventh inning or later, the game is OVER.
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
-Jake Barbour HBP on the first pitch of the game.
Barbour steals second.
-Dillon Lewis strikes out looking.
-Matthew Corlew is walked.
Runners advance on a wild pitch.
-Tyler Cotto is walked. Bases loaded with one out for Will Budnick.
-Will Budnick is issued a bases-loaded walk.
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Dylan Loy (1-0, 3.24 ERA) on to pitch for Phillips*
- Worst outing of Phillips’ season
-Connor Manco reaches on an RBI fielder’s choice to 1B as Budnick is out at second, 3-6. Corlew scores. Cotto advances to third.
- Almost got the 3-6-1 double play, but the throw was barely late.
-Zach Weston strikes out swinging.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Christian Moore works a leadoff walk.
-Blake Burke strikes out swinging.
-Billy Amick pops up to 2B in RF.
-Kavares Tears rips a single up the middle. Moore advances to third.
- 111 mph exit velo on Tears’ single.
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Royals 2
2nd Inning:
T2
-Tyler Peters strikes out swinging.
-Andrew McDermott knocks a single into shallow center field.
-Jake Barbour pops up to SS.
-Dillon Lewis strikes out swinging.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
*Pitching change: Jr. RHP Logan Schmitt (1-2, 9.44 ERA) on to pitch for Jurecka*
-Hunter Ensley flies out to the warning track in left center.
- 107 mph off the bat.
-Dean Curley works a walk.
Curley advances on a wild pitch.
-Cannon Peebles is walked.
-Charlie Taylor fouls out to RF.
-Christian Moore reaches on a fielder’s choice to SS as Curley is out at third, 6-5.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Royals 2
3rd Inning:
T3
-Matthew Corlew strikes out looking.
-Tyler Cotto slaps a single to LF, OUT trying to come back to first, 7-6-3.
- Bad baserunning mistake there from Cotto.
-Will Budnick strikes out swinging.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-Blake Burke grounds out to C.
-Billy Amick flies out to CF.
-Kavares Tears sends a single to RF.
-Dylan Dreiling pops up to 3B.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Royals 2
4th Inning:
T4
-Connor Manco fouls out to 1B.
-Zach Weston flies out to the warning track in RF.
*Pitching change: So. LHP Andrew Behnke (2-1, 3.52 ERA) on to pitch for Loy*
- Career-high in IP (3.1) and K (5)
-Tyler Peters singles to CF.
*Mason Kelly pinch-hitting for Andrew McDermott*
-Mason Kelly pops up to 2B.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
*Kelly to LF*
-Hunter Ensley is walked.
-Dean Curley singles to SS. Ricocheted off of the shortstop’s glove. Ensley advances to second.
- 109 mph off the bat.
-Cannon Peebles reaches on a fielder’s choice to 1B. Curley out at second, 3-6. Ensley advances to third.
Ensley scores on a wild pitch. Peebles advances to second on the wild pitch.
-Charlie Taylor is walked.
*Pitching change: Fr. RHP Jack Renaud (0-4, 8.28 ERA) on to pitch for Schmitt*
-Christian Moore rips an RBI single to LF. Peebles scores. Taylor advances to second.
- 115 mph off the bat.
-Blake Burke grounds into a 3-6-3 double play.
- Great play by the first baseman to catch the shortstop’s throw for the out at first. Had to reach back a good ways.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Royals 2
5th Inning:
T5
-Jake Barbour strikes out swinging.
-Dillon Lewis grounds out to SS.
-Matthew Corlew strikes out looking.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
-Billy Amick flies out to CF. To the warning track.
-Kavares Tears lines out to RF.
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Royals 2
6th Inning:
T6
-Tyler Cotto works a walk.
-Will Budnick bunts Cotto over to second with a sac bunt to 3B. Out at first, 5-3.
-Connor Manco strikes out swinging.
-Zach Weston slaps an RBI single to RF.
- Bounced off of Tears but it’s not ruled an error. Would’ve had a good chance of throwing him out at home.
-Tyler Peters strikes out looking.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
-Hunter Ensley pops up to SS.
-Dean Curley strikes out swinging.
-Cannon Peebles pops up to SS in shallow left center.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Royals 3
7th Inning:
T7
*Pitching change: Fr. RHP JJ Garcia (1-0, 5.40 ERA) on to pitch for Behnke*
-Mason Kelly strikes out swinging.
-Jake Barbour strikes out looking.
-Dillon Lewis flies out to CF.
END OF TOP HALF
B7
*Dalton Bargo pinch-hitting for Charlie Taylor*
-Bargo singles to CF on the first pitch of the at-bat.
-Christian Moore drives a single to CF.
- 116 mph off the bat.
-Blake Burke flies out to LF. Runners tag up and advance to second and third.
-Billy Amick sends an RBI groundout to 3B to bring Bargo home. Moore advances to third. Amick out at first, 5-3.
-Kavares Tears is intentionally walked.
-Dylan Dreiling SMOKES a three-run home run to right field.
- 106 mph, 385 feet. Dreiling always. comes. through. 16th HR of the season for Dreiling.
-Hunter Ensley is walked.
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Isaiah Bennett (0-0, 10.04 ERA) on to pitch for Renaud*
Ensley steals second.
-Dean Curley strikes out looking.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 6, Royals 3
8th Inning:
T8
*Bargo to C*
*Ariel Antigua to SS for Dean Curley*
-Matthew Corlew grounds out to 1B unassisted.
-Tyler Cotto doubles off the CF wall.
*Pitching change: Sr. LHP Kirby Connell (4-0, 4.66 ERA) on to pitch for Garcia*
-Will Budnick strikes out swinging.
-Connor Manco flies out to CF.
END OF TOP HALF
B8
-Cannon Peebles grounds out to 2B.
-Dalton Bargo flies out to CF.
-Christian Moore works a walk.
-Blake Burke flies out to LF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 6, Royals 3
9th Inning:
T9
-Zach Weston singles to LF.
-Tyler Peters is walked. Weston advances to second.
*Nick Alderfer pinch-hitting for Mason Kelly*
Bargo picks off Peters at first. Play under REVIEW.
––Looks like Burke missed the initial tag and Peters may have gotten his hand on the bag before Burke actually laid the tag on the second attempt.––
Call OVERTURNED. Peters SAFE at first.
-Nick Alderfer is walked. Bases loaded with no outs for Jake Barbour.
-Jake Barbour strikes out swinging.
*Pitching change: Jr. RHP Aaron Combs (1-1, 3.28 ERA) on to pitch for Connell*
-Dillon Lewis strikes out swinging.
-Matthew Corlew strikes out swinging.
END OF TOP HALF
Score: Vols 6, Royals 3
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 6, Queens Royals 3
