Photo by Ian Cox/Tennessee Athletics
By Jace Brown
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A chilly night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium played host to game one
of a three-game weekend series between Tennessee and Bowling Green, ending in an
11-1 run rule victory in eight innings for the Volunteers.
Tennessee pitched its third one hitter of the young season, joining the list of last
Sunday’s game against Albany and Tennessee’s 16-0 win against ETSU.
Tennessee’s starting pitcher AJ Causey made his first start in orange after transferring
in from Jacksonville State, where he was the typical Friday starter for the Gamecocks.
Causey seemed right at home, striking out all three batters in the first inning.
The lone hit of the night for the Falcons came off the bat of Tyler Ross, who smoked a
solo home run over the right field wall to start the second inning. Beyond that, only one
other Falcon reached base. That was Sam Seidel who worked a walk but was picked
off at first by Tennessee catcher Cal Stark.
Causey was electric on the mound, finishing with seven innings, one hit, one run, and
nine strikeouts. Vols’ freshman lefty Dylan Loy got the last action on the mound for
Tennessee, where he retired all three batters he faced and dropped in a strikeout of his
own.
“Our hitters ranked him one of the toughest at bats on our team,” Tennessee head
coach Tony Vitello said on Causey. “He’s a guy the other players in the locker room are
really fired up to play behind… In a short amount of time, he’s got a lot of respect from
our players.”
The offense got rolling early as well for the Vols, sparking from the left side of the infield.
Tennessee third baseman Billy Amick got the offense started with a solo home run in
the first inning that measured at 113 mph off the bat. His start was backed by freshman
shortstop Dean Curley, coming back into the lineup after being drilled by a pitch to the
helmet last week. Curley took the first pitch he saw over the left field wall to break the
tie and was ultimately the game-sealing run.
“He likes to compete,” Vitello said on Causey. “He’s so strong, he’s kind of like KT
(Kavares Tears)… he’s just got to get it on the barrel and it’ll go.”
Tennessee first baseman Blake Burke also made a statement tonight, going 2-4 with an
opposite field home run in the fifth. His effort was matched by who else but Amick, who
knocked another ball over the fence, his also to opposite field. The two most proven
power hitters in the Tennessee lineup proved just how lethal of a duo they can be.
The first three hits of the contest were home runs, but after the back-to-back long balls
in the fifth, the ball would stay in the park. Tears, Ethan Payne, and Colby Backus
would each contribute an RBI to provide insurance to the Tennessee lead and eventual
victory.
The Vols will look to continue the now 8-game win streak Saturday, March 2, as they
host Bowling Green for game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET
and the game will be streaming on SEC Network+.