16th ranked Tennessee got baseball season rolling with a 3-0 sweep of Georgia Southern this weekend. Sunday’s 14-0 victory was the cherry on top of a solid opening weekend, building on a 9-0 win on Friday night and a 10-3 win on Saturday.
Jordan Beck opened the scoring on Sunday in the first inning, and Tennessee was off and running. Beck drove in another in the third, and Drew Gilbert’s sacrifice fly added another run.
A five-run fifth inning blew things wide open, as the Volunteers poured it on. The Tennessee pitching staff allowed just three hits on the day, capping off their second shutout on the weekend. Drew Beam got the start for Tennessee, throwing 60 pitches over three innings. Camden Sewell took over for two innings and picked up the win.
On Saturday, Tennessee won 10-3, exploding late for another win over Georgia Southern. Down 3-0 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Volunteers matched those three runs, added two more in the seventh and five more in the eighth.
A Drew Gilbert grand slam in the eighth was the highlight, sending Tennessee fans home happy on Saturday afternoon.
A Saturday Slam for @gillygoobear to cap of a 10-3 win! #GBO // #OTH pic.twitter.com/HzhtWDtEqr
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) February 20, 2022
Pitcher Chase Dollander got the start on Saturday, who actually transferred in from Georgia Southern this offseason. He tossed five innings, striking out 11 batters in five innings. His impressive debut came apart in the sixth, where he surrendered three runs.
The Volunteers are back at it on Tuesday evening, set to host Tennessee Tech. They’ll turn around and host UNC-Asheville on Wednesday, ahead of a weekend series with Iona this weekend.