Vols Hitting Downs Highlanders

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee baseball team defeated Radford 25-5 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Friday in the first of a three-game weekend non-conference series. (Box Score)

The Vols, who improved to 12-3 and have won nine straight, were led at the plate by Eli Iorg, who went 4-for-6 with a home run, a career-high five RBIs and one run scored. Josh Alley hit a pair of doubles and drove in a career-high four runs. And freshman outfielder Julio Borbon scored three runs and drove in three more.

Radford (2-9) plated one run in the second, as third baseman Aaron Ranft scored on a base hit by centerfielder Steve Mignogna.

Tennessee answered back in the bottom of the third inning, as junior right fielder Iorg hit his fourth double in the last two games, allowing Alley to score all the way from first.

Radford starting pitcher Mark Fleisher (1-2) walked first baseman Rob Fitzgerald with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth. Chase Headley crossed home as a result, and Tennessee took a 2-1 lead. Borbon then stepped into the batter’s box and was hit by a pitch, bringing in Kelly Edmundson.

Borbon was put out when Alley hit into a double play, but junior Michael Rivera came home to score. Fitzgerald was then the lone Vol remaining on the basepath, and he perfectly executed a straight steal of home to put Tennessee up 5-1.

Later in the inning, Iorg singled to left field, enabling senior shortstop Eric King to score from second to cap off the Vols’ five-run fourth inning.

The Highlanders rattled off four runs in the fifth inning, jump-started by a two-RBI single by Jesse Ross. Radford first baseman Kellen Wohlford then doubled to left field, but the Vols threw out Fleisher on his attempt to take home plate.

Ranft then singled to left field, driving in two more runs and allowing the Highlanders to trim UT’s lead to one run.

Tennessee senior Alex Suarez came in to pinch-hit for Fitzgerald in the bottom of the fifth and laced a sharp hit that Ranft was unable to corral. Headley scored on the play. Highlander reliever Derek Creger then worked himself into a jam by loading the bases and hitting Alley with a pitch, bringing in Edmundson. Consecutive RBI basehits by King and Iorg extended UT’s lead to 10-5 heading into the top of the sixth.

Headley homered to left-center to leadoff the bottom of the sixth for the Vols. Later in the inning, Borbon tripled to drive in Rivera, who had previously reached on an error and then stole second and third. Borbon scored one batter later to extend the Vols’ lead to eight runs when Alley doubled down the left line. King singled to score Alley, making it 14-5. Iorg capped off the inning with a two-run blast out of the park in left field.

Tennessee erupted for nine runs in the seventh. Alley and Rivera posted two RBIs that inning, while Arencibia, Edmundson, Suarez and Borbon also drove in runs.

UT starter Luke Hochevar (4-1) got the win after allowing five runs on 11 hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in six innings on the mound. Fleisher lasted 3 2/3 innings after giving up six runs (five earned) on three hits. The right-hander issued four strikeouts.

The win gave 16th-year UT head coach Rod Delmonico his 600th career coaching victory, making him only the sixth skipper in Southeastern Conference history to ever reach the 600-win milestone.

Headley set a new Tennessee single-game record with five walks. Former Vol Todd Helton owns the UT single-season record, with 61 walks in 1995. Headley already has 22 walks through 15 games this year.

Saturday’s game begins at 2 p.m. Sophomore right-hander Sean Watson (3-1, 3.38 ERA) will get the start for Tennessee. Radford’s starter has not yet been announced.