Top-ranked Tennessee wrapped up its appearance at the Astros Foundation College Classic on Sunday by facing an Arizona team that knocked off No. 2 Texas A&M on Friday and No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday.
There would be no sweep of the Southeastern Conference representation for the Wildcats.
Andrew Fischer, Levi Clark and Cannon Peebles each homered, and Tennessee relievers produced a suffocating final seven innings as the Volunteers downed Arizona 5-1 to complete their three-game run at Houston’s Daikin Park, known formerly as Minute Maid Park. Tennessee defeated No. 25 Oklahoma State, Rice and the Wildcats by the combined score of 23-6.
“We got challenged and saw some good arms and some good competitive teams,” Fischer said in a news conference Sunday after the Vols improved to 11-0, “but after seeing what our guys bring to the table in these big games in huge environments like this, I think there is a lot of upside coming for us.”
Said relief pitcher Nate Snead of the Big 12’s Wildcats: “That was an SEC-caliber team right there, so it was good to see some competition like that.”