Jake Rucker and Liam Spence provided power to help Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello reach a career milestone Friday night.
Rucker went 2-for-6 with a double and a grand slam, while Spence went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. Their production helped No. 10 Tennessee to an 11-6 victory over No. 7 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools at Foley Field in Athens.
The win was Vitello’s 100th career victory as a head coach, and Spence, who knocked in three runs and scored three more, started the offensive fireworks early as his solo homer gave the Vols a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Rucker’s RBI single extended the Vols’ advantage to 2-0 in the third. Beck plated Rucker with a single later in the frame.
UT (16-3, 1-0 SEC) extended its advantage in the fourth as Spence drew the first of his two walks with the bases loaded in the contest. Pete Derkay also drove in a run when he received a free pass.
Rucker then delivered his grand slam to make it 9-0.
The Bulldogs (13-4, 0-1 SEC) scored two runs in the fifth, tallied three more in the sixth and tacked on one more in the seventh.
Spence walked with the bases loaded in the sixth and closed UT’s scoring with an RBI double in the eighth.
On the mound, Chad Dallas went 6.1 innings. He gave up six runs, nine hits and two walks, while striking out nine Georgia batters.
Sean Hunley hurled 2.2 innings of scoreless relief and had four strikeouts.
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