Rhode Island Starters
Kopack (SS), McKenzie (RF), Genther (DH), Laske (C), Cartnick (LF), DePino (1B), Ramirez (2B), Cucinotta (CF), Fortin (3B), Twitchell (P)
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Tennessee Starters
Dickey (LF), Stephenson (CF), Beck (RF), Lipscomb (3B), Lipcius (1B), Russell (C), Burke (DH), Lawson (SS), Steenstra (2B), Burns (P)
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How it Happened
Trailing 3-0 after the first two innings of the series, Rhody came back and made it a one-run game in the top of the third. There,
Addison Kopack drew a one-out walk and stole second before scoring on a fielder's choice ball by
Eric Genther. Genther then advanced to third when
Jordan Laske singled down the right field line, and crossed the plate on a passed ball to make it a 3-2 game.
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No. 3 Tennessee halted the Rams' momentum in the home half of the inning however, putting five runs on the board to lead 8-2 after three complete.
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Freshman reliever
Ryan Andrade silenced the Vols' bats over the next four frames, and Rhody eventually cut UT's lead to 8-4 in the top of the seventh.
Jack Cucinotta got things going with a double to right center and then scored on a base hit by
Joe Fortin, who later crossed the plate on an RBI groundout by Genther.
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With Andrade out of the game in the bottom of the eight, Tennessee stretched its lead to 17-4 ,thanks in part to an inning-extending error that allowed the Vols to send eight extra hitters to the plate and score six unearned runs.
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Calvin McCall drilled a pinch-hit double off the left field wall in the top of the ninth, but that was all the offense the Rams would get as they suffered their 11th straight loss.
Inside the Box Score
- Five of Rhode Island's nine hits on the day were doubles.
- Grad student Jack Cucinotta and redshirt sophomore Addison Kopack both doubled, walked, scored a run and stole a base for the Rams.
- Cuccinotta also recorded his first outfield assist of the season on an impressive 8-5 play in the bottom of the third.
- Freshman Eric Genther doubled, drove in a run and scored one of his own.
- Freshman Anthony DePino also doubled, as did junior Calvin McCall.
- Freshman Ryan Andrade continued his hot start to the season, striking out four and allowing just one hit through four innings of scoreless relief.
- Andrade has how tossed 8.0 shutout innings over three appearances, recording seven strikeouts with just one hit allowed.
- Fifth-year senior Ryan Twitchell was charged with the loss. In a three-inning start, he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits and two walks.
- Rhode Island held the Tennessee to eight hits through the first seven innings before the Vols racked up nine additional hits in the error-extended eighth inning.
Up Next
The teams return to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for the second game of today's doubleheader, set to begin at approximately 6 p.m.
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