Reigning national champion LSU is struggling this baseball season, and Tennessee is offering the Tigers no sympathy.
The No. 4 Volunteers won their fourth consecutive series Saturday, avoiding a fourth straight rubber match with a 3-1 victory before a Lindsey Nelson Stadium record crowd of 6,155. Tennessee was held to its lowest run total of any Southeastern Conference win this season but improved to 29-6 overall and 9-5 within the league.
"We're adding different ways to a Rolodex of ways to win, which is nice," Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said in a news conference. "You'll take them any way you can get them. Today was just real low-scoring and gutty."
LSU, which eliminated the Vols at last summer's College World Series on its way to the title, dropped to 22-14 overall and 3-11 in league contests.
Tigers starting pitcher Luke Holman had a no-hitter through five innings, but a Blake Burke infield hit and a Billy Amick double to left field in the sixth inning had the Vols threatening with two outs. The Tigers pulled Holman for Griffin Herring, and Dylan Dreiling greeted the reliever with a single to right-center that put the Vols up 2-1.
"I had a good idea they were going to go to a lefty for me," Dreiling said. "When they brought him in, I also had a good idea he was going to go with a first-pitch slider, and he did. I put a good swing on it."
Tennessee starter Drew Beam nearly worked seven full innings, allowing eight hits and three walks in improving to 5-1. He threw 106 pitches.
"Competing with every pitch was really important," Beam said. "My goal was just keeping them from touching the plate, and I did a good job of that."
Amick capped the scoring in the eighth inning with a homer to right-center.
Nate Snead allowed just one hit in two scoreless innings to pick up his third save for the Vols, who will seek the sweep Sunday at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.
"We've got to smell blood and get Sunday's game," Beam said.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.