Tennessee faces elimination in Omaha on Sunday, and after Texas A&M jumped out to a 1-0 lead in Game 2 — it’s either win or go home for Tony Vitello’s squad.
After Saturday’s 9-2 loss, Vitello chose to start ace Drew Beam on the mound in the hopes of keeping the Aggies bats at bay. For the most part, he’s done exactly that.
Try Fubo for FREE today and don’t miss any of the action!
The Vols star struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced through 3.0 innings pitched. He threw 33 strikes on 48 pitches and besides giving up a solo home run to Aggies slugger Jace LaViolette in the bottom of the first inning. It took him 15 pitches to get out of the fourth inning
“He’s been competing the way he typically does,” Vitello said ahead of the fifth inning. “He’s been the model of consistency for us and sometimes it’s a little better, sometimes it’s worse but when he goes out there, he’s going to compete the way that I want our guys to and he’s turned himself into an excellent leader as well.”
While Beam did his part to limit the damage on the mound, Tennessee’s offense remained scoreless through three innings of work. The Vols loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth inning but left all three runners stranded after Texas A&M pitcher Chris Cortez baited Vols first baseman Blake Burke into a ground ball situation. He logged four strikeouts during his three inning of work.
Cortez relieved Aggies starter Zane Badmaev after one inning of work. Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle relieved him after 20 pitches. He struck out two Tennessee batters but allowed two hits during the opening inning.
“The fastball is obviously pretty firm,” Vitello continued. “And this slider is a good pitch when it’s in the zone. So our guys can’t get caught in between those two early in the bats. You saw the check swing there by Burke, who is trying to do something and get us broken through on the scoreboard. But for the most part our guys are seeing the ball well, and they’re in there competing. Just need to get that first [run].”
Only a few innings separate Tennessee from either ending its season, or extending it for one more game. Fans can watch the exciting finish to Game 2 of the College World Series final live on ABC.
The post Tony Vitello praises Game 2 starter Drew Beam’s effort vs. Texas A&M: ‘He’s been the model of consistency for us’ appeared first on On3.
