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VOLS COME UP SHORT IN FINALE VS. DAWGS, 3-1
Junior outfielder Dom
Thornton belted a towering home run in the fourth inning on Sunday to
put the Vols on the board, but Tennessee came up short in series finale
against Georgia, 3-1, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
With the loss,
Tennessee moves to 15-10 overall and 1-8 in SEC play, while UGA
improves to 13-16 and 3-6 in conference competition with the series win. As
a part of his 2-for-4 effort against the Dawgs, Thornton's solo shot to
left field marked his fourth longball in his past seven games. Freshman
Pete Derkay (1-for-4) contributed one additional hit for Tennessee in
the series finale.
The Bulldogs put multiple runners in scoring
position during the first three innings, but clutch defensive plays by
the Volunteers kept Georgia off the scoreboard. Starter Zach
Linginfelter got himself out of a jam in the second when - in
back-to-back plays - he picked off a runner at second base and then
fired a swinging strikeout to bring the Volunteers back to the plate. In
the third, Thornton and UT's defense held the Bulldogs off the boards
again. With one out and runners on first and second, Thornton scooped a
single to right field and made an impressive throw home in time to
catch UGA's Tucker Bradley advancing from second. Georgia
went on to post three runs in the fourth frame, which Thornton answered
with his home run to left field. UT's bats fell quiet after the fourth,
as the Dawgs held on for a 3-1 final. Linginfelter
(1-3) took the loss in his fifth start of the season for the Vols.
Right-hander Kyle Serrano later came in for 2.0 innings and punched
five strikeouts, including three straight strikeouts to retire the side
in the eighth. Serrano has now collected 17 punchouts in just 7.2
innings of work this season.
Lefty and East Tennessee native Will
Heflin took over the relief efforts in the ninth and allowed just one
hit against his four batters faced.
TENNESSEE QUICK HITS
Tennessee
is now 121-114 all-time vs. Georgia in a series that dates back to
1909. The Vols continue to hold a lead of 67-46 in the contests held
between the teams in Knoxville.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS: Jordan Rodgers
(24), Jeff Moberg (18), and Justin Ammons (11) each extended their
current streaks of reaching base safely for the Volunteers.
THORNTON
HEATING UP: Dom Thornton's home run on Sunday was his fourth in his
last seven games. The transfer outfielder is looking to continue his
recent run production, having hit 18 home runs with 74 RBI in 2016 as
Howard College's (Texas) primary right fielder.
On Deck for the
Vols: Tennessee looks to host the MTSU Blue Raiders on Tuesday, April 4
at 6 p.m. ET before hitting the road to take on the SEC foe Florida
Gators on Friday, April 7 - Sunday, April 9 in Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday afternoon's attendance at Lindsey Nelson Stadium: 2,967
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