#25 Vols Win 6-2, Take Series vs. Cincinnati

Saturday, March 11

Knoxville

2:30 PM

University of Tennessee

11-2

Cincinnati

6-8

Cincinnati

Tennessee

March 11, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

March 11, 2017

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 25-ranked Tennessee jumped out to an early lead on Saturday afternoon and with the help of a two-run homer from Justin Ammons, the Volunteers took a 6-2 win over Cincinnati in Game Two of a doubleheader at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

With the win, Tennessee (11-2) took two of three games to win the series against the Bearcats (6-8) on Rocky Top.

The Vols' bats were quick to strike in Game Three, as catcher Benito Santiago (4-for-4) reached on a single up the middle and scored to put UT up, 1-0, in the second inning.

Tennessee cushioned its lead in the fourth, when outfielder Jay Charleston led off the frame with a single to left field. On a 1-2 count, freshman Justin Ammons belted a towering, two-run homer over the right field wall to put his Vols ahead, 3-0.

Later in the inning, shortstop Max Bartlett drove home Andre Lipcius from second base with an RBI-single into right field, making it a 4-0 UT advantage.

Charleston came across for the Vols again in the fifth. He reached on a bunt single, worked his way to third and scored on a wild pitch to make it a 5-0 ballgame.

The Bearcats came back to scratch two runs on the board in the seventh but the Vols responded, kicked off by a Jeff Moberg double to start the bottom of the inning. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Charleston drove in Moberg on a sacrifice fly to center field to put the score a 6-2.

Lefty Zach Warren (2-1) dealt 6.0 innings for the win in his fourth start of the year, striking out six Bearcat batters in the outing.

Right-handers Connor Darling, Will Neely and Jon Lipinski followed Warren in relief, each facing the minimum over a combined 3.0 scoreless innings to help retire 11 straight batters.

TENNESSEE QUICK HITS

With the win, Tennessee moves to 19-6 in its all-time series with Cincinnati and took two of three games in the home weekend series.
With his two-run homer in the fourth, freshman Justin Ammons recorded his first career home run for Tennessee and his eighth extra-base hit of the year.
Catcher Benito Santiago went 4-foro-4 in Saturday's series finale, his first four-hit game of the year and the seventh four-hit game by a Volunteer this season.
Tennessee's offense has scored first against its opponents in 10 of 13 contests this season.
The Vols' lineup has recorded double-digit hits in nine of its 13 games.
In Saturday's doubleheader, Tennessee's bullpen combined for 8.0 scoreless innings of work to shut down the Bearcats, including a 5.0-scoreless inning outing from freshman Garrett Stallings in Game One.
On Deck for the Vols: Tennessee travels to take on MTSU in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Tuesday, March 14 for a 7 p.m. ET contest. The Vols then play host to Austin Peay on Rocky Top on Wednesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. ET.
Saturday's attendance at Lindsey Nelson Stadium: 1,144