No. 19 Tennessee shuts out George Washington to sweep series
Tennessee remains undefeated with a 10-0 win against George Washington University.
After falling behind early in the first two games of the series, Tennessee (12-0) wasted no time in game three. The Vols defeated George Washington 10-0 on Sunday to complete the series sweep, their third straight weekend sweep to begin the season.
In the bottom of the first inning, Connor Pavolony kicked off the day for UT with a two-run home run that cleared the home run porch in left field. It was his third home run of the season.
“He wasn’t throwing much off-speed, so I was sitting fastball until he proved he could throw off-speed for a strike,” the sophomore said on his first inning homer. “I put a good swing on one.”
Pavolony finished the day 2-3 with three RBIs and a run scored.
The scoring was consistent throughout the game for the Vols. They scored runs in six different innings and had seven different players tally at least one hit.
“You’re building and building for SEC play, but all 56 games are either a win or a loss,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said following the sweep. “Along the way, you want to build up repetitions to say you’ve been there and done that.”
Vitello also said the games in this series where the team had to come from behind are beneficial to the team.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tennessee witnessed a scare as junior Alerick Soularie appeared to suffer a head injury while sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt. However, he walked off the field under his own power.
“(The shortstop’s knee) was head-level with Alerick (Soularie). He was a little shaken up, but he’s good to go,” Vitello said on Soularie.
Tennessee hit two more home runs in the game, and the Vols now lead the nation in home runs with 22. Additionally, the Vols have allowed just 20 runs in 12 games this season.
The Volunteers play at Lindsey Nelson Stadium for five more games before beginning SEC play. Next up is Longwood University at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Edited by Christian Knox and Ryan Sylvia
Featured image courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
