Tennessee baseball takes Vanderbilt series: Takeaways from Vols vs Commodores

NASHVILLE − Kavares Tears bashed the first game-changing home run of the Vanderbilt series and Christian Moore mashed the second.

Tennessee baseball won its third straight series on the backs of those swings against its in-state rival before its nine-game winning streak halted in a shutout loss Sunday.

The No. 1 Vols (42-10, 19-8 SEC) won the first two games against the Commodores (34-18, 12-15) at Hawkins Field to continue their dominance in the rivalry. The Vols won the opener 8-4 on Friday and took the series with a 7-6 win Saturday. UT had three hits in a 3-0 loss Sunday.

Vols coach Tony Vitello has a 12-7 record against Vanderbilt, including a 9-1 mark in the past three seasons.

Where Tennessee baseball is in SEC standings with one series to play

Tennessee is heading into its final SEC series a game back of first place.

UT was tied with Kentucky entering play Sunday after the Vols won the first two at Vanderbilt. Kentucky lost the second game at Florida 10-1, opening the opportunity for UT to gain ground.

Kentucky won 7-5 on Sunday in 10 innings to win the series and hold first place ahead of UT and Arkansas.

Did Cannon Peebles do enough to settle in as designated hitter?

Cannon Peebles didn't start any of the three games as Tennessee's pursuit of a reliable designated hitter continues. But the sophomore had a nice series off the bench, which Vitello labeled "refreshing" as Peebles "looks much more like himself."

Peebles walloped a two-run pinch-hit homer in UT's five-run eighth inning Friday. He walked twice and lined out to second after entering in the fourth inning Saturday. He struck out in a seventh inning at-bat Sunday.

"He looks comfortable in the box," Vitello said Saturday. "We don’t need him to conquer the world because maybe he hit a lull in there during the season and now he’s back involved heavily. We just need one good at-bat out of him."

What went wrong as Tennessee baseball's sweep attempt faltered

Dalton Bargo started at DH on Friday before Reece Chapman did Saturday and Robin Villeneuve was the Sunday pick. Vitello noted that he is comfortable adjusting at the DH spot through a game and the staff has told multiple players to stay ready during games.

THE HUSTLE: The wild dash to get Billy Amick his No. 11 jersey for Tennessee baseball vs Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt starter JD Thompson twirled brilliance Sunday to stifle Tennessee's potent offense and prevent both a sweep and Tennessee's 10th straight win against the Commodores. It was the first time UT had been shut out since its 5-0 season-ending loss to LSU at the College World Series in June 2023.

Dylan Dreiling had three singles for UT. UT got two on leading off the fifth and seventh innings, chasing Thompson in the latter. UT wasted both opportunities with noncompetitive at-bats ending in strikeouts.

Timely relief pitching works out fine for Tennessee baseball

Nate Snead came in Saturday with two in scoring position and UT ahead two. He got a lineout to right and a ground to second to end the game and secure the series.

Tennessee's relief staff got it done even when it wasn't pretty.

AJ Causey pitched around a rough sixth inning Friday to strike out seven in 6⅓ innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. Aaron Combs entered in a sixth-inning jam Saturday, which he got out of with a soft groundout with the bases loaded. Combs allowed one run on one hit and three walks in 2⅔ innings.

Snead came back Sunday with 4⅓ innings of scoreless relief. He struck out four and allowed five hits.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee baseball took another series from Vanderbilt