University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, February 20
Chattanooga, Tenn.
12:00 PM
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Tigers Pick Up First Win of the Season, 13-8
Feb 20, 2016 | Baseball
Connor Alexander pitches six innings, Tigers’ offense busts out
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Memphis used two big innings and got a solid start from Connor Alexander to win its first game of the season, 13-8, knotting up the series with Tennessee. The rubber match of the series is set for Sunday at noon (CT) at AT&T Field.
Alexander tossed six strong innings in his first start of the season. The sophomore allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. All of the runs came in the sixth inning, after Alexander had allowed just two hits through the first five shutout frames.
Memphis put the pressure on Tennessee in the top of the fourth inning and it paid off with five runs for the Tigers. Third baseman Zach Schritenthal singled to lead it off and left fielder Chris Carrier worked a walk to put two runners on. Catcher Corey Chafin advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.
The first run came home on an RBI groundout by Brandon Grudzielanek to give Memphis its first lead of the series.
Things got interesting from there as four more runs, all unearned, came home with two outs. Designated hitter Andy Bowman hit a chopper and sprinted down the line, which forced a close play that was bobbled by the Tennessee pitcher, Kyle Serrano, allowing another run to come home.
Back-to-back walks to Trent Turner and Jake Little loaded the bases with two outs. The Volunteers ran a pick-off play to first and appeared to catch Little in a rundown, allowing Bowman to sprint towards home and slide in safely to make the score 3-0. The other two runners advanced safely on the play. After a walk to shortstop Jake Overbey, Tennessee turned to Aaron Soto out of the bullpen.
Center fielder Darien Tubbs greeted the reliever with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt single to drive in a fourth run. A wild pitch allowed Jake Little to score from third and make it a five-run inning for Memphis.
Four Memphis batters had multiple hits in the game. Chafin led the way with a 4-for-5 day at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Tubbs and Schritenthal each had two hits, while Bowman had three hits in the game.
Memphis added to its lead in a big way in the top of the sixth inning with six more runs on six hits. Right fielder Jake Little started it off with his first hit of the season, a single up the middle, and shortstop Jake Overbey drove him in with a double down the left field line.
Tubbs stayed hot, hammering an RBI triple into the gap in left-center field that scored Overbey. Schritenthal then drove in Tubbs with a sacrifice fly to center field to make the lead 8-0.
Following a single by Carrier, the Volunteers made another pitching change. Chafin kept the inning going when he reached on an error and a single by Brandon Grudzielanek drove in another run.
The inning was capped off by a two-run double down the right-field line by Bowman, the first extra-base hit of his Memphis career.
Tennessee got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Volunteers had five hits in the inning but Alexander was able to get a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
The Volunteers added three more runs in the seventh inning off of senior reliever Trey McNickle. Junior Blake Drabik was able to come into the game and get the final out of the inning to limit the damage.
Drabik, who was making his first appearance since having season-ending surgery in 2015 to remove a brain tumor, pitched a perfect eighth inning as well. The junior retired all four batters he faced.
Memphis tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth after the Tigers loaded the bases and Chafin lined a two-RBI single to right field.
Tennessee scored two more runs in the bottom of the ninth off of Nolan Blackwood, who allowed two hits and issued a walk.
Alexander tossed six strong innings in his first start of the season. The sophomore allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. All of the runs came in the sixth inning, after Alexander had allowed just two hits through the first five shutout frames.
Memphis put the pressure on Tennessee in the top of the fourth inning and it paid off with five runs for the Tigers. Third baseman Zach Schritenthal singled to lead it off and left fielder Chris Carrier worked a walk to put two runners on. Catcher Corey Chafin advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.
The first run came home on an RBI groundout by Brandon Grudzielanek to give Memphis its first lead of the series.
Things got interesting from there as four more runs, all unearned, came home with two outs. Designated hitter Andy Bowman hit a chopper and sprinted down the line, which forced a close play that was bobbled by the Tennessee pitcher, Kyle Serrano, allowing another run to come home.
Back-to-back walks to Trent Turner and Jake Little loaded the bases with two outs. The Volunteers ran a pick-off play to first and appeared to catch Little in a rundown, allowing Bowman to sprint towards home and slide in safely to make the score 3-0. The other two runners advanced safely on the play. After a walk to shortstop Jake Overbey, Tennessee turned to Aaron Soto out of the bullpen.
Center fielder Darien Tubbs greeted the reliever with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt single to drive in a fourth run. A wild pitch allowed Jake Little to score from third and make it a five-run inning for Memphis.
Four Memphis batters had multiple hits in the game. Chafin led the way with a 4-for-5 day at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Tubbs and Schritenthal each had two hits, while Bowman had three hits in the game.
Memphis added to its lead in a big way in the top of the sixth inning with six more runs on six hits. Right fielder Jake Little started it off with his first hit of the season, a single up the middle, and shortstop Jake Overbey drove him in with a double down the left field line.
Tubbs stayed hot, hammering an RBI triple into the gap in left-center field that scored Overbey. Schritenthal then drove in Tubbs with a sacrifice fly to center field to make the lead 8-0.
Following a single by Carrier, the Volunteers made another pitching change. Chafin kept the inning going when he reached on an error and a single by Brandon Grudzielanek drove in another run.
The inning was capped off by a two-run double down the right-field line by Bowman, the first extra-base hit of his Memphis career.
Tennessee got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Volunteers had five hits in the inning but Alexander was able to get a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
The Volunteers added three more runs in the seventh inning off of senior reliever Trey McNickle. Junior Blake Drabik was able to come into the game and get the final out of the inning to limit the damage.
Drabik, who was making his first appearance since having season-ending surgery in 2015 to remove a brain tumor, pitched a perfect eighth inning as well. The junior retired all four batters he faced.
Memphis tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth after the Tigers loaded the bases and Chafin lined a two-RBI single to right field.
Tennessee scored two more runs in the bottom of the ninth off of Nolan Blackwood, who allowed two hits and issued a walk.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Alexander, Connor (1-0)
L: SERRANO (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Bowman, Andy 1 ; Overbey, Jake 1
3B: Tubbs, Darien 1
RBI: Tubbs, Darien 2 ; Schritenthal, Zach 1 ; Chafin, Corey 2 ; Grudzielanek, Brandon 2 ; Bowman, Andy 2 ; Overbey, Jake 1
SH: Chafin, Corey 1
SF: Schritenthal, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tubbs, Darien 2 ; Schritenthal, Zach 1 ; Carrier, Chris 2 ; Chafin, Corey 1 ; Grudzielanek, Brandon 1 ; Bowman, Andy 1 ; Turner, Trent 1 ; Little, Jake 2 ; Overbey, Jake 2
HBP: Schritenthal, Zach 1
Batting:
2B: MOBERG 1 ; RODGERS 1 ; LANCE 1
3B: HALL 1
RBI: HALL 2 ; SENZEL 2 ; JACKSON 1 ; RODGERS 2 ; SANTIAGO 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MOBERG 2 ; HALL 1 ; SENZEL 2 ; JACKSON 1 ; LANCE 2
HBP: HALL 1
PO: SENZEL 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
4
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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INF
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