The run-rule success kept rolling for the Vols on Tuesday evening.
No. 4 Tennessee got the job done as it has for nearly every midweek meeting this season, besting Bellarmine 13-3 in eight innings. The Vols (32-5) jumped out to an early lead and didn’t waiver, taking advantage of five stolen bases and muting the Knights’ (9-27) offense to just a pair of earned runs.
Andrew Fischer and Dalton Bargo each drove in a trio of runs, aided by the way of respective longballs.
Tennessee baseball cruises against Bellarmine: How it happened
Thomas Crabtree’s day in the starting role started on a low note.
On the game’s second pitch, Bellarmine leadoff hitter Landon Akers crushed a solo shot to give his team the early lead. Crabtree responded well, retiring the next three Knights in order.
Dean Curley got Tennessee’s day in the batter’s box off and running as well, stroking a double on the third pitch he faced. Those that followed didn’t pull their weight, though, stranding Curley at third after consecutive putouts from the Bellarmine defense.
After Andrew Behnke worked a scoreless second, the Vols grabbed a strangling advantage.
Bargo got it all started with a single, scoring via a Reese Chapman triple in the next at-bat. He scored via a sacrifice fly as things continued to get worse for Knights’ starter Carson Brower. Fischer stepped to the plate with two aboard, sending a three-run shot that just squeaked over the wall in right to make it a big, six-run inning. Tennessee kept it going as Bellarmine turned to the bullpen, but couldn’t add any further insurance as the bases were left loaded.
The Knights forced across a run in the third with some aggression on the basepaths. With two down, Joey Milto took off for third as Austin Breedlove delivered a pitch to Stone Lawless. The freshman backstop’s throw was wide of the bag and bound for left field, plating an unearned run to cut the Vols’ lead to four.
Tennessee got back to business in its half of the fourth. Chapman’s clutch night continued as he laced a run-scoring double, followed by Manny Marin’s second RBI of the evening on a single to center.
Back-to-back scoreless stanzas from Michael Sharman and Ryan Combs kept head coach Tony Vitello’s pitching plans in order, the pair of arms each posting two strikeouts in their respective innings.
The Vols succeeded in loading the bases in the fifth, all while not recording a hit. The chance to push things into run-rule land didn’t pan out as Bargo couldn’t come through with two down, flying out.
The result was the same in Tennessee’s next try at the plate, stranding the bases full without plating a run.
Bryson Thacker was tagged for a run in the seventh after walking the first man he faced, a base-on-balls that turned into two on a passed ball. He cleaned things up by rolling a double-play and fanning his final hitter.
Bargo and Chris Newstrom struck for back-to-back bombs in the bottom half, growing the Vols’ lead to 12-3.
Hunter High sent the death blow in the eighth, legging out an RBI infield single to complete the mercy-rule victory.
Tennessee will welcome Kentucky for the holiday weekend’s SEC series, beginning on April 18.
