Tennessee starting pitcher AJ Russell racked up 10 strikeouts in four innings Friday night as the No. 9 Volunteers opened their 2024 season with a 6-2 downing of No. 21 Texas Tech at the Shriners Children's College Showdown in Arlington, Texas.
It was Tennessee's first opening win since 2022, with the Vols having lost to Arizona 3-1 last February at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Vols led off Friday's fourth inning with a Cannon Peebles single into right field and a Billy Amick two-run home run to right to grab a 2-0 lead. A Texas Tech throwing error later in the fourth enabled Kavares Tears to score to make it 3-0.
Russell racked up six strikeouts in the first two innings and tallied his ninth and 10th in the fourth, but the Red Raiders opened the bottom of the fifth by getting a runner on second and third with one out. AJ Causey came in to replace Russell but gave up a two-out triple to right-center to TJ Pompey that pulled Texas Tech within 3-2.
Causey wound up working the rest of the game and added seven strikeouts to Russell's 10.
The Vols loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the sixth inning but came away empty when Tears and Bradke Lohry struck out and Hunter Ensley grounded out to third base. They made up for it in the eighth, when a Lohry sacrifice to center scored Amick, a wild pitch scored Dylan Dreiling, and Hunter Ensley's single up the middle brought in Tears.
Tennessee will play Oklahoma on Saturday night.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.