Tennessee Volunteers: Weekend Sports Recap
By Zach Ragan
Mar 2, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Josh Richardson (1) attempts to pass around Georgia Bulldogs center John Cannon (41) and forward Brandon Morris (31) in the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
It’s Monday morning, and that means it’s time to take a look at what happened in the world of Tennessee athletics this past weekend.
Baseball
Tennessee dropped two of three games this weekend. The Volunteers were participating in the USA Baseball Tournament in Cary, NC. The Vols opened the series with a 3-2 loss to Notre Dame on Friday.
The Vols took on Massachusetts on Saturday. Tennessee jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but UMass answered with a pair of two run innings in the second and third, to tie the game. The Volunteers retook the lead in the top of fifth with two squeeze plays. Parker Wormsley first got down the suicide squeeze, scoring David Houser. The next batter, Jason Manis, then layed down a safety squeeze, plating Pierce Bily, giving the Vols a 6-4 lead. Trevor Charpie closed the game out for the Volunteers, earning his first save of the season. Blake Thomas (1-0) was credited with the win for Tennessee.
Tennessee was unable to keep it going on Sunday, losing to Virginia Tech 7-3. The Hokies scored four runs in the top of the third, which was all the run support Virginia Tech pitcher David Burke (3-0) needed. The Vols scored a run in three consecutive innings, but never recovered from the Hokies big third inning. Tennessee pitcher Aaron Quillen (0-1) suffered his first loss of the season. The two weekend losses dropped the Vols to 4-7 on the season.
Tennessee will return to Knoxville to face Belmont on Tuesday at 6:00 pm est.
Softball
The Lady Vols took part in the Buccaneer Invitational in North Charleston, SC this past weekend. Tennessee enjoyed a perfect weekend, winning all five of their games.
The Lady Vols began the weekend on Friday with a 9-1 win over UNC Wilmington, and a 8-1 win over host team Charleston Southern.
Saturday saw the Lady Vols enjoy two shut-out victories. Cheyanne Tarango picked up her third win of the year on Saturday against UNC-Wilmington. Tarango (3-1) pitched 5 innings, giving up only one hit.
In Tennessee’s second game on Saturday, the Lady Vols shut out Valparaiso 5-0. Ellen Renfroe got the win for the Volunteers, pitching 7 innings of three hit ball. Kat Dotson drove in three of the Vol’s runs, including a two-run homerun in the sixth inning.
On Sunday the Lady Vols took on host team Charleston Southern again, winning 10-3. Tennessee scored five in the top of the first, but Charleston Southern answered with three in the bottom of the first, they wouldn’t score again. Ellen Renfroe (7-1) picked up her second win in as many games.
The Lady Vols will play in Knoxville for only the second time this season, when they kick off a three-game series with Alabama on Friday. Tennessee and Alabama will take the field at 6:30 pm est on Friday.
Men’s Basketball
Tennessee saw their six game winning streak come to end end on Saturday, with a 78-68 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. The loss put Tennessee’s tournament hopes in doubt. The Volunteers are now 17-11 on the season and will need a strong finish to the season to secure a NCAA tournament bid. The Vols finish the regular season with games against Auburn and Missouri.
Women’s Basketball
The Lady Vols clinched the SEC regular season title on Thursday night with a win over Texas A&M. On Sunday Tennessee took on Kentucky in the regular season finale. The Lady Wildcats came away with the win, 78-65. The Lady Vols won’t play again until Friday, when they take on the winner of Florida/Arkansas in the SEC tournament.