KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Alabama A&M (8-31, 5-16 SWAC) could not withstand an offensive barrage by No. 1 Tennessee (41-4, 19-2 SEC) and dropped a 14-1 decision in an NCAA Division I baseball game on Tuesday, May 3.
The Volunteers would waste no time getting on the scoreboard as Jordan Beck hit a three RBI homerun to left field and allowed Jorel Ortega and Seth Stephenson to score for a 3-0 advantage. Beck would then hit a single up the middle and Stephenson came home to add another run.
The score would remain the same until Tennessee responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with Stephenson scoring on a throwing error before Kyle Booker homered to left field and brought home Blake Burke. Christian Moore would then single through the left side to add the final run of the inning for an 8-0 advantage.
The Volunteers would extend their lead in the bottom of the fifth with Burke hitting a home run to left field and allowed Charlie Taylor and Logan Chambers to score to push their lead by 11.
The Bulldogs would finally respond in the top of the sixth inning as freshman first baseman
Trevor Berkemeyer (North Las Vegas, Nev.) singled to right field and brought home junior third baseman
CJ Mervilus (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to 11-1.
Tennessee would then answer in the bottom of the seventh inning as Ethan Payne homered to right center and allowed Burke to score before adding the final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with Logan Steenstra delivering a home run to left field to secure the 14-1 victory.
Burke led the Volunteers with a 2-of-2 day, three RBIs, a homerun and three scored runs while Beck went 2-of-2 with four RBIs, a homerun and a scored run. Payne went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a scored run while Stephenson was 2-of-3 with three scored runs to round out the top performers. Gavin Brasosky threw 1.1 innings, striking out one and allowing no earned runs to move to 1-0.
Berkemeyer led the Bulldogs with a 1-of-4 day and an RBI while Mervilus was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Junior pitcher
Tyler Campbell (Albuquerque, N.M) allowed three earned runs to fall to 0-7.
The Bulldogs will return home from May 6-8 for a three-game series against Mississippi Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday at James Clemens High School.
