Tennessee baseball picks up another win over Austin Peay

The 17th ranked Tennessee baseball team (7-2) was scheduled to take on the Dayton Flyers Wednesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, but after the Flyers’ decision to withdraw from the game, Tennessee was looking for another opponent to match up against on Wednesday. Enter: Austin Peay State Governors (1-5).

The Volunteers took to the west to face off against the in-state opponent from Clarksville. Camden Sewell took the ball for Tennessee, pitching two innings, giving up a hit and walk but no runs.

The Governors were the club that were able to strike first, however. Plating three in the bottom of the third, Austin Peay was able to hang a crooked number off Jake Fitzgibbons, who lasted 0.1 innings, being tagged with three hits, three runs, while walking one, and throwing two wild pitches. All told, a single, groundout, and passed ball were responsible for the Govs’ offensive night.

Tennessee did all of its work in one inning, as well, plating all five of their runs in the top of the fifth inning. Liam Spence singled, scoring Jackson Greer and bringing the Volunteers within a pair. Jake Rucker followed that up with a two-RBI single, plating Spence and Kyle Booker, knotting the game at three. A Drew Gilbert sacrifice fly put Tennessee ahead, and when Greer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, the Volunteers notched an insurance run, making the score 5-3.

Elijah Pleasants (1-1) earned the win for Tennessee. Rucker led the club with two RBIs, while Spence, Gilbert, and Greer each contributed one. As a whole, Tennessee struck out 10 times, but managed to draw seven walks, while contributing nine hits, and left 11 men on base.

Tennessee, now 8-2 on the season, will head back home and shift their attention to the Georgia State Panthers (4-6) for a weekend series. The first pitch for those three games are 6:30, 6:00, and 1:00, respectively.