Tennessee Edged by Cincinnati, 2-1

Friday, March 10

Knoxville

6:00 PM

University of Tennessee

9-2

Cincinnati

6-6

Cincinnati

Tennessee

March 10, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

March 10, 2017

Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee's pitching staff shined as they amassed 13 strikeouts against Cincinnati, but the team fell short in a 2-1 final as the Vols' bats went cold on a chilly Friday night in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Cincinnati (6-6) struck first in the contest with a Connor McVey home run in the top of the first inning. Tennessee (9-2) responded in the bottom of the second with a monstrous home run off the bat of Benito Santiago, tying the game at 1-1.

After Santiago's home run, the Volunteers struggled to put runners on base. Despite the outcome, redshirt senior Jeff Moberg continued his strong hitting, going 2-for-4 on the night with a single and a double.

The Bearcats moved to a 2-1 lead when Jace Mercer dashed from third base on a fielder's choice by UT's defense in the fifth.

The Volunteers threatened the Bearcats in the bottom of the ninth as a pair of freshmen got the team in scoring position with two outs. Designated hitter Pete Derkay hit a ball into center field before pinch-hitter Will Heflin drove one up the middle to make it runners on first and second. The surge was then short lived as pinch-hitter Luc Lipcius fell into a 5-3 groundout to end the game.

Senior righty Hunter Martin got the start for UT, continuing his hot streak fanning six batters over 6.0 innings of work. Martin (3-1) took his first loss of the season as he allowed Cincinnati two earned runs on seven hits in the outing.

Making his first appearance since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2016, right-hander Kyle Serrano entered the game in the seventh inning and needed just 18 pitches to retire the side with three straight strikeouts. Sophomore Daniel Vasquez later pitched well in relief for the Vols, tallying four strikeouts over his 2.0 innings.

TENNESSEE QUICK HITS

With the loss, Tennessee moves to 17-6 all-time vs. Cincinnati, snapping a 13-game win streak dating back to March 22, 1976.

Cincinnati's homer by Connor McVey in the first frame marked only the second time this season for a Tennessee opponent to score first in a contest.

Benito Santiago's offensive output has continued to increase this season. On Friday, he hit his third home run of the year, a single-season high for the junior catcher.

Friday night marked the sixth game in which the Volunteers have recorded double digit strikeouts as a staff. The 13 strikeouts recorded against Cincinnati are Tennessee's most since the team threw 13 vs. Norfolk State last weekend (March 3).

Kyle Serrano's single inning pitched in the seventh was his first appearance for Tennessee on the mound since Feb 20, 2016 vs. Memphis in Chattanooga, Tenn. His 2017 debut outing on Friday night marked one year to the day since his Tommy John surgery on March 10, 2016.

Jeff Moberg hit a double in the third, marking his eighth extra- base hit on the season. That total currently leads the team through 11 games. With his 2-for-4 night vs. Cincinnati, the redshirt senior also leads the team in multi-hit games with seven.

Friday night's attendance at Lindsey Nelson Stadium: 1,384

On Deck for the Vols: UT continues its three-game series versus Cincinnati with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 11, due to expected inclement weather on the forecast for Sunday. Game One is slated for a Noon ET start at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, with Game Two beginning approximately 45 minutes following the conclusion of Game One.