NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 1 Tennessee won its series against Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday with a Game 2 win by a final score of 7-6.
The Vols and Commodores were scoreless through the first two innings. Tennessee started making noise in the top of the third inning.
Cal Stark hit a ball to right field that was got by the right fielder, which resulted in a triple. Christian Moore was up to bat next and hit a single to bring Stark home for a 1-0 lead.
Blake Burke got a single to get on first base and advance Moore to second base. Billy Amick almost hit a ball that would have brought Burke and Moore home, but JD Rogers came up with an incredible jumping catch at the wall to get an out. The Vols advanced runners to second and third base in the inning, but it didn't result in any more runs.
Vanderbilt tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. With a runner on first and second base, RJ Austin hit a double to left field to make it 1-1. With runners on second and third base with two outs, Drew Beam dealt a big strikeout for UT to end the inning.
Tennessee retook the lead in the top of the fourth inning. They got the bases loaded with one out. Stark dropped one into center field to get UT a 2-1 lead. However, that's all UT would do with the bases loaded.
Vanderbilt took their first lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Camden Kozeal hit a two-run home run to give the Commodores a 3-2 lead.
The Vols went back on top in the top of the sixth inning. Moore sent a three-run home run over the right field wall. The ball was just fair and UT went up 5-3. It is his 23rd home run of the season, which puts him one shy of the Tennessee program record for most home runs in a single season set by Sonny Cortez with 24.
Burke would score on a wild pitch later in the inning to put UT up 6-3.
Vanderbilt chipped into that lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jack Bulger pinch-hit and hit a single to bring in a run and make it 6-4. Davis Diaz singled to left field to bring in another run and that made the score 6-5.
Later in the inning, Vanderbilt loaded the bases with two outs. Aaron Combs forced Austin into a chopper. Combs knocked the ball down with his glove, fielded it and threw it to first base for the final out of the inning.
The Vols were able to extend their lead in the top of the seventh inning. Moore brought in another run with a single to right center field to give the Vols a 7-5 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Commodores got a runner on second and third base with no outs down two runs. Kavares Tears would get the second out on a nice catch in right field, but the Commodores brought in a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 1.
However, the Vols forced a ground out to close the game and win 7-6.
Game 3 will be on Sunday at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Tennessee has now won nine straight games against Vanderbilt and will go for their third consecutive series sweep on the Commodores on Sunday.
