No. 14 Tennessee opened its NCAA regional slate with a convincing 9-2 victory over Miami University on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers got a vintage performance on the mound from junior lefty
Liam Doyle and had contributions up and down the lineup to win their 13 straight NCAA regional game.
Doyle Dazzles in NCAA Regional Opener
After having to battle through the first three innings, Doyle settled in and found his groove, retiring 10 consecutive batters at one point en route to an 11-strikeout night in which he allowed just one run on four hits and three walks to earn his 10
th victory of the year.
The Derry, New Hampshire, native has recorded double-digit strikeouts nine different times this season and is one punchout away from tying Luke Hochevar's single-season program record of 154.
Balanced Attack by UT
Eight different players finished with either a hit, a run scored or an RBI for the Big Orange in Friday night's win.
Reese Chapman led all players with three RBIs, including a solo home run to open the scoring in the bottom of the second inning.
Gavin Kilen,
Hunter Ensley and
Cannon Peebles all had a pair of hits as UT made life extremely difficult on Redhawks' starting pitcher Cooper Katskee.
The sophomore righthander was handed just his second loss of the year after allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and four walks over 3.1 innings.
Regional Win Streak Continues to Build
With Friday's victory, Tennessee extended a handful of impressive winning streaks in the regional round of the NCAA tournament.
The Vols have now win 13 straight NCAA regional games overall and 17 in a row at home.
UT's last regional loss at home came back in 2001 against Wake Forest.
Up Next
Tennessee will take on Cincinnati in the winner's bracket game Saturday night at 6 p.m. (ET). The winner will advance to Sunday's regional final.
Television info for Saturday's contest has yet to be announced, so stay tuned to the official Tennessee baseball social media channels for that information.