University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
South Carolina
Gamecocks Take 4-0 Win Over Volunteers
April 24, 2015 | Baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- In the series opener against South Carolina, Tennessee struggled to find its rhythm and fell behind early, taking a 4-0 loss before a Friday night crowd of 2,643 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
With the loss, Tennessee moves to 16-21 on the season and 5-14 in SEC competition, while South Carolina (26-17) improves to 9-10 in league play this year.
"As a team, we're just not playing good baseball and that's why we are what we are right now," Head Coach Dave Serrano said following the game. "We're a team that's fighting ourselves continually to try to play good baseball and it's very disappointing. There were some spectacular plays. There just wasn't enough spectacular things that happened tonight. That's why we lost 4-0."
Offensively, Tennessee matched South Carolina with seven hits, led by second baseman Nick Senzel (2-for-4, 2B), designated hitter Andrew Lee (2-for-4, 2B) and center fielder Chris Hall (1-for-1, BB, HBP) who reached base in three straight plate appearances. With a double in the seventh, Senzel also recorded his team-leading, 18th multi-hit game and improved to 50 hits on the year, also the most on the Vols' squad.
On the mound, starting lefty Andy Cox went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out six batters for the loss.
South Carolina edged ahead in the first with a one-run lead. The Gamecocks then took a 3-0 advantage after catcher Logan Koch knocked a two-run homer over the right field wall in the second inning.
The Vols held off the Gamecocks until the seventh inning, when South Carolina loaded the bases with one out and went on to plate one run, making it a 4-0 ballgame.
Righthander Hunter Martin went to work for the Vols in the sixth, relieving Cox with runners on first and second and two outs. Martin threw 0.2 inning before freshman Jacob Westphal was called upon in the seventh. Westphal finished the game for Tennessee on 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out two of his nine batters faced.
"All we can do is stay positive and keep playing," Cox said. "We're not going to quit. We still have a chance. Whatever we can do, we're not going to quit on the team. I'm never going to quit on the team. Nobody's quitting. We're going to keep playing."
"We've just got to have that belief and that's been the biggest struggle since I have come back--that belief that we can do it," Serrano said. "Sometimes I feel myself and my coaching staff believe in these guys more than they believe in themselves. We have to push the wall down. We have to knock the door down. We can't sit and wait for someone to lose. We can't wait for someone to give us something. We have to go get something."
On Saturday, April 25, the Vols send senior righty Bret Marks to the hill for Game Two against South Carolina, facing junior lefty Vince Fiori at 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network + stream.
Tennessee also plans to honor Vol Baseball great Condredge Holloway by retiring his jersey in a pregame ceremony on Saturday. Holloway, a former All-SEC and First Team All-American for the Vols, will become the third VFL baseball player to be permanently honored beyond the outfield walls of Lindsey Nelson Stadium, joining three-time All-American and 1995 National Player of the Year Todd Helton (No. 3) and fellow Tennessee Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Garner (No. 18).
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee baseball program, visit UTSports.com/baseball and follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.
