Baseball: WVU Falls at No. 24 Tennessee
March 02, 2003 05:14 PM | General
March 2, 2003
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 24 Tennessee tied its season-high with 17 hits as they defeated the WVU baseball team, 13-3, on Sunday afternoon, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Already ahead 1-0 in the third inning, Tennessee tapped Mountaineer starter Zac Cline for three runs off five hits, highlighted by a long RBI triple to dead-centerfield by Brian Cleveland and a one-run double by All-American catcher Javi Herrera.
Cline (1-1) lasted just three innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits while striking out three and walking one.
The Volunteers put together another big inning in the sixth, scoring four runs on three base-hits and a triple by Nick Crowe off WVU reliever Todd Dunham.
West Virginia coach Greg Van Zant was ejected in the sixth inning after arguing what he interpreted as two bad calls by the umpire.
Tennessee starter Derek Tharpe (2-0) put together a solid outing, tossing six innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out four and walking just one.
WVU scored its first run in the fifth after an RBI single by Jarod Rine plated Grant Psomas, who singled to lead off the inning.
Junior Kurtis Clinton blasted a two-run home run, his third of the year, in the eighth inning for the Mountaineers.
The Vols ended any threat of a Mountaineer comeback with a five-run eighth inning to close out scoring.
Michael Rivera and Chad LeGate each had three hits for the Vols while Clinton had two hits for WVU.
Tennessee improves to 9-1 while West Virginia falls to 3-4 on the season.
The Mountaineers return to action for their home opener on Friday, March 7, against Stony Brook, at 5 p.m., at Hawley Field.
