WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@#30 Vanderbilt 10, Tennessee Tech 1
Eastern Kentucky 8, @Tennessee 7 (10 innings)
Lipscomb 4, @UT Martin 1 (10 innings)
#30 VANDERBILT 10, TENNESSEE TECH 1
NASHVILLE - Eastern Kentucky University sophomore Michael Garcia's grand slam with two outs in the top of the tenth made the difference as the Colonel baseball team upset SEC foe Tennessee on the road, 8-7, Wednesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Tennessee Tech spotted 30th ranked Vanderbilt a nine-run lead in the first two innings, then played the Commodores even the rest of the way Wednesday, falling 10-1 in a game that was moved back one day because of cold weather Tuesday.
Tech (4-3) returns home this weekend to host a three-game series with Bradley. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday, with action beginning at 1 p.m. each day in Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. Admission is free.
Vanderbilt (7-1) jumped on TTU starter Stephen Pryor (0-1) with four runs in the first inning and added five in the second, handing the junior from Mt. Juliet the loss in his first start as a Golden Eagle. Connor Harrell had big hits in each inning and drove in four runs for Vanderbilt.
Shortstop Brian Harris led off the contest with a home run down the left field line on a 3-2 pitch. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases. Pryor nearly got out of the jam, coaxing a strikeout and a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0 with two outs. But a walk to Riley Reynolds loaded the bases an Harrell delivered a two-run single.
Harris also started the rally in the second with a leadoff single. Two batters later Curt Casali knocked a two-run single up the middle to make it 6-0. Jason Esposito's RBI single made it 7-0, and Harrell came up with another clutch hit, this time a two-run double to open the lead to 9-0.
The Golden Eagles' lone run came in the top of the third. With one out, freshman Michael Morris singled and moved to second on a groundout. When Tate McMillan's sharp grounder toward third was mishandled, Morris raced home with an unearned run.
A pair of young Tech pitchers kept Vanderbilt quiet for the next three innings and Tech tried to rally. Sophomore Matthew Shepherd allowed just one hit, a leadoff single, in the bottom of the third inning, and the Golden Eagles loaded the bases in the top of the fourth but saw that chance snuffed by an inning ending double play.
Freshman Ryan Hopkins worked two scoreless inning in the fourth and fifth. He didn't yield a hit and allowed just one base runner, a batter he hit with a pitch. He struck out three.
A.J. Kirby-Jones pitched the sixth and Casali smacked a one-out home run to right field, his second of the season.
Chason Choate was on the hill for the final two innings for Tech and allowed just one base runner, an eighth inning double. He struck out two Vandy hitters.
Will Clinard (1-0), the second of three Comodore pitchers, eaarned the win. He worked 3.1 innings and struck out three while allowing one hit. Vanderbilt pitchers faned nine Tech batters.
Tech had one last charge, loading the bases in the ninth. Cassanova Donaldson had a one-out single, his second hit of the game, and Devin Rivers walked. Freshman pinch hitter Zephan Guyear also walked to load the bases but Vandy pitcher Sam Selman got a game-ending strikeout on a 3-2 pitch.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 8, TENNESSEE 7 (10 innings)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - With the score tied 4-4, the bases packed and two outs in the top of the tenth, Garcia launched a 2-2 fastball over the wall in left field for his first home run of the season, clearing the bags and giving the Colonels a seemingly safe four-run advantage.
In the bottom of the 10th, however, junior Ryne Purcell got two quick outs before allowing two runs on a solo home run by Matt Hamaker, three consecutive singles and a walk.
With the lead down to two, sophomore Matt Harris came on in relief of Purcell and inherited the bases loaded. After walking the first batter he faced to make the score 8-7, Harris got Matt Duffy to ground out to second to end the game.
Purcell (1-0) received the win, going three innings and allowing three runs - all in the 10th inning - on five hits. In recording the final out of the game, Harris earned his first career save.
Sophomore southpaw Greg Terry started on the hill for EKU and pitched admirably, working three innings and surrendering just one run on three hits. Junior Macon Smith threw three innings after Terry and gave up three runs on three hits. Freshman Austin Rexroat and sophomore Eric Sanders retired a batter each in the sixth inning before giving way to Purcell.
Matt Ramsey (0-1) picked up the loss for Tennessee as he went three innings and allowed four runs on four hits.
Junior Jayson Langfels led EKU offensively, batting 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run. His double to lead off the bottom of the 10th galvanized the rally that would eventually win it for the Colonels.
Hamaker paced the UT offense, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI.
Sophomore Richie Rodriguez put the Colonels on the board first in the top of the second as he delivered a two out double with the bases loaded that scored senior Joey Stevens and junior Richie Allen.
After the Vols got one back in the bottom half of the inning, Langfels made it 3-1 in the top of the third with a solo shot to right center. The Colonels added another when Allen drove a sacrifice fly to center that plated senior Anthony Ottrando.
Charley Thurber reduced the lead to two with an opposite field solo blast to left in the fourth, and then Hamaker tied it with a two-run homer in the sixth.
Tennessee threatened in the seventh as the Vols loaded the bases with just one out; however, Sanders struck out Duffy swinging before Purcell came on and got Thurber to fly out to center.
Neither team would score again until Garcia's slam in the 10th.
It is the Colonels' first win over an SEC team since 1999, when they defeated Kentucky, 9-8.
LIPSCOMB 4, UT MARTIN 1 (10 innings)
MARTIN, Tenn. - Junior right-hander Dylan Cupples pitched six sound innings for The University of Tennessee at Martin (6-2) this afternoon, unfortunately Cupples' teammates struggled with their bats in one of the coldest days of the young season at Skyhawk Field against visiting Lipscomb University (1-6).
Cupples scattered five hits and gave up three walks and an earned run. He struck out four. In fact, Cupples had one more strikeout then his teammates had hits.
Lipscomb scored one run in the top of the third inning off Cupples, while the Skyhawks answered back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Wes Patterson drove in a run with a single up the middle.
Freshman Alex Bosheres pitched 1.2 innings and did not give up a run, while junior college transfer Shawn Swearingen pitched 2.1 innings and gave up three runs, all in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Lipscomb had 10 hits in the game. Antonio Butler went 2-for-5 with two RBI. His triple in the top of the tenth inning plated two runs. Cory Hale was 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Patterson, Cody Terry and Brent Morris accounted for all three of the Skyhawk hits.
Game time temperature was 49 degrees but with the wind chill it felt like 42 degrees.