Vols Take Series Opener Over UNCG with Comeback Win

Friday, February 23

Knoxville

3:30 P.M. ET

University of Tennessee

3-2

UNC Greensboro

3-2

UNCG

Tennessee

February 23, 2018 | Baseball

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KNOXVLLE, Tenn. – Benito Santiago's two-run double in the bottom of the seventh helped lead Tennessee to its third straight win, a 3-2 comeback victory over UNC Greensboro in Friday's series opener at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Santiago finished the game 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI while freshman Wyatt Stapp had another solid performance with two hits and an RBI of his own in a game that was mostly dominated by pitching.

Neither starting pitcher gave up many hits but both struggled with walks, combining for 10 total. UT starter Zach Linginfelter gave up two runs on four hits and struck out three in 5.1 innings while Spartans' starter Matt Frisbee allowed just two hits in 4.2 shutout innings but walked four.

The Big Orange (3-2) fell behind 2-0 in the sixth inning but after a couple of missed opportunities were able to finally break through against the UNCG bullpen with one run in the sixth before Santiago gave the Vols the lead for good with his game-winning double in the seventh.

Tennessee got 3.2 solid innings out of its bullpen with Will Heflin tossing three scoreless to earn his first-career win. Freshman right hander Chase Wallace relieved Heflin in the ninth to record the final two outs and register his first-career save.

The Vols were unable to capitalize on a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth when Frisbee walked three straight batters to load the bases with two outs before being relieved by Jack Maynard, who got Pete Derkay to fly out to left field to escape the jam.

The Spartans (3-2) were able to take advantage of their scoring chance in the next half inning as Cesar Trejo drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle. Heflin was able to limit the damage and keep the deficit at two after coming on to relieve Linginfelter.

Stapp singled to score Santiago and cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth. The Texas native came to the plate with runners on the corners after Santiago singled and reached third after a throwing error by Austin Embler at second base. The Vols were unable to do any more damage and left a pair of runners in scoring position to end the inning.

Heflin was able to work out of some more trouble and keep UT within striking distance in the seventh, stranding two runners in scoring position after striking out Tripp Shelton and getting Trejo to ground out to shortstop.

The Vols were finally able to get the big hit they needed in the bottom of the seventh. Derkay started a two-out rally with a double to the corner in right field and Andre Lipcius followed with a walk before Santiago ripped a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line to score both runners and put Tennessee ahead 3-2.

After Heflin retired the side in order in the eighth, Embler singled to right field to lead off the ninth but was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double on a great throw by Justin Ammons. Wallace retired the next two batters to secure the win.

Maynard was stuck with the loss for UNCG after giving up all three Tennessee runs (two earned) in two innings of work to fall to 0-1 on the season.

Notables
Benny Comes Up Clutch
As one of just two seniors on Tennessee's roster, Benito Santiago is one of the team's leaders and top contributors. The Florida native came up clutch for the Vols late in the game with a two-out, two-run double that ended up being the game-winning hit. Santiago currently ranks second on the team with a .421 batting average and five RBI.

Career Firsts for Heflin & Wallace
Tennessee relief pitchers Will Heflin and Chase Wallace played a big part in the Vols win on Friday night. Heflin earned his first-career win after tossing three scoreless innings of relief while Wallace recorded the final two outs of the game to pick up his first save.

Next Up
The Vols will look to win the series with a victory in game two tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network + (WatchESPN).

Quotables
Tennessee Head Coach Tony Vitello

On being able to pull the game out after trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth:
"It's a big deal. If you're half way through that game and you are a Tennessee fan, you're thinking this is the exact same thing that went on Friday. I would be lying if I didn't say I had that feeling a little bit. Not so much I thought we were going to lose, but the way the game was going. We needed to make an adjustment, and we did it. That's a really big deal. We are a young team. I would love to lie to them, but I told them that they need to learn how to win. We have done it now, so in my mind we have learned it. I hope they feel that way. A one run game, a Friday game, a comeback win; there are a lot of things there that are wrapped into one. They did a good job tonight. They need to enjoy it a little bit, but that is a very, very well coached team. They probably squared up more balls than we did tonight, so I expect tomorrow to be a pretty dang good battle."

On how big it is to get a Game One win in a three-game series:
"It's enormous. If you are in a fight, you'd like to throw the first punch. We are in a pretty good battle with an excellent team here, so it allows you to maybe breathe a sigh of relief when you should be anyway, but it's easier said than done. Sometimes when you are down 0-1 and the second game doesn't look so good, it's really hard to go out there and compete like our guys did tonight. Again, they need to learn how a weekend goes and what it takes to win a series. Really, what it takes is to just play every inning as hard as you can and let the scoreboard take care of itself."

Will Heflin Quotes

On what a comeback win does for the team:
"Winning is a habit, so the more you win, the more you get used to it and the more you expect it. When you have a dugout full of guys and whoever is on the field, and they expect to win, it's more likely to happen for sure."

On how it felt to play three big innings for the team:
"Pitching is kind of funny. You don't have your best stuff every day, and today was one of those days, but I did enough to get a few outs. We did a really good job getting some runs in the later innings and the defense played really well behind me. Any win on Friday is pretty big."

Benito Santiago Quotes

On if he saw anything from Pete Derkay and Andre Lipcius's at-bats before stepping up to the plate in the seventh inning:
"He made good contacts on those balls, but I was more just worried about getting the momentum done—getting the momentum started. Once the momentum gets started with us, it just keeps going. It's more of passing the bat to the on-deck circle and keeping the momentum going."

On if he enjoys those pressure situations:
"I review myself in every situation. In every situation I want to be in it with the bat and with the glove. Give me the opportunity to keep pouring on runs for the team and contribute to the success we are going to have."