Hunley Dazzles as Vols Soar Past UT Martin

Tuesday, April 10

Knoxville

6:30 P.M. ET

University of Tennessee

20-14

UT Martin

5-24

UT Martin

Tennessee

April 10, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score Highlights Postgame Media Photo Gallery PDF Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee starting pitcher Sean Hunley continued to baffle opposing hitters in a 9-0 win over UT Martin on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The freshman from nearby Mount Juliet, Tenn., set a new career high with 11 strikeouts and allowed just four hits in seven shutout innings to improve to 6-0 this season.

Five Volunteers recorded multi-hit games as UT cranked out 14 hits on the night. Sophomore Justin Ammons led the way, going 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI after hitting his third home run of the season. Benito Santiago had a pair of doubles and drove in three runs while Evan Russell stayed hot at the plate with two hits and a career-high three runs scored.

Senior center fielder Brodie Leftridge got the fans off their feet early on with an incredible run-saving catch in left-center field in the first inning. (Watch HERE)

The Vols were able to take advantage of a Skyhawks' defensive miscue to score the game's first run. With runners on the corners Pete Derkay was able to force a wild throw from UT Martin's catcher on a stolen base attempt. The throw went into the outfield and allowed Russell to score from third to give the Vols an early 1-0 lead in the second inning.

The Big Orange added to their lead with two runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings to go ahead 5-0. Santiago hit the first of his two doubles on the night to score Derkay before coming around to score himself on an RBI single off the bat of Brandon Chinea.

Nico Mascia hammered a 2-0 pitch over the scoreboard in right-center field to make it 4-0 in the fifth and Derkay gave the Vols a five-run cushion with an RBI groundout to plate Russell after he tripled earlier in the inning.

Another solo home run put UT ahead 6-0 as Ammons smashed his third four bagger of the year in the bottom of the sixth. Santiago hit his second RBI double of the night later in the inning to bring in two more runs and up the Tennessee lead to eight.

Andre Lipcius capped the scoring for the Vols with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-0.

Billy Edwards was the only UT Martin player to record multiple hits as he finished the game 2-for-2. Peyton Cain was the losing pitcher of record after giving up five runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings of work.

Notables
Take a Seat
Sean Hunley continued to add to his already impressive resume this season with an 11-strikeout performance against the Skyhawks. Hunley's 11 punchouts are the most by a UT pitcher since Bret Marks had 12 against Grand Canyon on March 6, 2015.

With the win, Hunley improved to 6-0 this season and is now tied with UT greats Todd Helton and Luke Hochevar for fifth all-time in program history for wins by a freshman.

Santiago Continues Hot Hitting in Non-Conference Play
Senior Benito Santiago had a huge night at the plate in Tuesday's victory, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a team-leading three RBI. The Florida native leads the team with a .390 batting average in non-conference games this season.

Next Up
The Vols and Skyhawks meet again tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network. Fans can also listen to the game live on UTSports.com.