Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Tennessee
Baseball Falls to Tennessee, 13-8
3/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2010
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The rain continued to fall and Victor Gomez continued to swing a hot bat at the dish, but the Marshall University baseball team fell to Tennessee, 13-8 on Sunday evening on a soaked Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
V.Gomez went 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a three-run homer as the Thundering Herd dropped to 7-6. In the three-game tournament the catcher had a supersize performance at the plate. The junior tallied eight hits in 14 at bats with two homers, 11 RBI and seven runs scored.
Eric Semeniuk and Kirby Pellant each recorded a pair of singles for the Herd as the team had 10 base knocks as a squad.
UT (9-7) scored 13 runs on only six hits, including two homers and five RBI from shortstop Zach Osborne. Alan Walden (1-0) earned the victory out of the Vols bullpen.
The Herd offense stayed blazing in the early goings after crossing home 28 times in two games on Saturday, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Isaac Ballou and Josh Valle reached base on an error and base hit to start the game against Volunteers starter Aaron Tullo. V. Gomez took a 1-2 offering from Tullo and launched a three-run bomb to left center, his fourth of the season and second of the tournament to give the Herd a 3-0 lead after a half inning.
UT scored its first run of the game without the courtesy of a hit in the bottom of the third. Herd starter Mike Mason walked two batters in the inning before a two-out error allowed Chris Fritts to cross home with MU still leading, 3-1.
Mason (2-1) had cruised through the first four frames of the evening, until the southpaw fell into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. The lefty had allowed only one unearned run in his previous 11.2 innings on the hill struggled to find his command. The Vols would score six times on three hits, capped off by a two-run homer by Zach Osborne to take a 7-3 lead into the sixth.
MU pushed across a run in the sixth after being held off the scoreboard since V.Gomez's three-run bomb in the first. Nathan Gomez and Pellant each roped singles in the frame against UT reliever Walden. The Vols catcher attempted to pick off Pellant at first, but the throw ricocheted off his back into the outfield allowing N. Gomez to score from second to make the score 7-4 in favor of the Vols.
The Vols added six more runs in the sixth, including a three-run homer from Osborne to extend the advantage, 13-4.
A three-spot was put up on the board for the Herd in the top of the seventh. V. Gomez knocked in his fourth RBI, Alfredo Brito drew a bases loaded pass and Kenny Socorro hit a sac fly to highlight the inning. UT reliever Will Locante escaped without further damage, up 13-7.
Kurt Lipton smoked a solo shot in the ninth to round the evening's scoring.
The Herd hosts its home opener with a four-game series against the LeMoyne Dolphins, with the first tilt scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. in Huntington, W.Va.
