The Vols didn’t hold back all weekend.
Tennessee baseball cruised to dominate the final game of its opening series, topping Nicholls 12-2 in seven innings. The No. 14 Vols held the Colonels to little in the finale, capping things off with their second run-rule decision. Tennessee (3-0) got another fine outing on the bump from its second transfer weekend hurler to pin Nicholls (0-3) down in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Evan Blanco posted five innings of spotless baseball while punching out nine. Blaine Brown completed his monster day at the plate with a three-hit nightcap that featured a solo shot. Tyler Myatt paced the Vols with four RBIs.
Early tee times
The Tennessee bats didn’t cool down during the 45-minute hiatus between games.
Brown’s lumber remained the kindling of the Vols’ offense. After clubbing two homers in the middle game of the series, the left fielder connected on a solo shot to get his guys on the board in quick fashion. Levi Clark followed him in the three-hole, stroking a bomb to the left field porch. A Myatt RBI double chased Nicholls starter Haden Luke from the game just one out deep into his outing.
The floodgates cranked open.
Tennessee capitalized on some control issues from the Colonels’ pitcher out of the bullpen, Myatt coming into to score on a pair of wild pitches. The second inning followed the first’s pace, a three-run frame for the Vols after four-straight knocks started the proceedings.
Tennessee held a 7-0 lead before Nicholls could blink.
Blanco bears down
The final member of the Vols’ weekend rotation followed the lead of his fellow arms.
Blanco capped a day of Tennessee debuts on the mound with some clean work of his own. He punched out the first batter of his Vols career on four pitches, sequencing his low-90s fastball with his changeup to set the tone.
The Virginia transfer kept things quick and easy before laboring a bit in the third. Blanco got two quick outs before consecutive singles placed a runner in scoring position for the first time. He walked the next batter to load the bases, a blunder that brought one of Nicholls’ only RBI producers of the series to the plate. Blanco sent Caston Thompson the way of the strikeout to escape the jam.
The southpaw settled back in for a scoreless fourth before finding himself in another bind during the fifth. Blanco’s second free pass gave way to runners at the corners as Thompson climbed into the batter’s box once more. His fortunes stayed the same.
Tennessee’s offense kept holding up its side of the bargain, pushing the lead into run-rule territory as Blanco finished his work. He posted five stanzas of shutout ball, striking out nine while allowing five hits.
Meet Mr. Myatt
The Walters State import displayed a knack for driving in runs in his first Vols start.
After coming off the bench to homer in his first at-bat on Opening Day, Myatt kept the production rolling. His double in the first inning turned out to be his only run-yielding knock of the evening, but a pair of RBI groundouts and a bases-loaded walk were good enough for four steaks.
Tennessee baseball will welcome UNC Asheville on Feb. 17.
