It was windy throughout the Volunteer State on Friday.
That included Lindsey Nelson Stadium, where Tennessee's Chase Dollander overcame the gusts and Gonzaga during an 8-2 victory. The junior pitcher threw six scoreless innings, scattering six hits and racking up 11 strikeouts without allowing a walk.
"It was pretty fun, to be honest," Dollander said of the conditions. "The 40 mile-per-hour winds got me a couple of times. One time when I was coming set, I started wobbling, so I went to the plate real quick."
The Vols improved to 9-2 with their ninth straight victory, while Gonzaga, a 37-19 team last season that reached the NCAA tournament, dropped to 1-8.
Tennessee broke the game open with a sixth-run sixth inning that was highlighted by Blake Burke's bases-clearing double. Burke went 3-for-5 and is now hitting .439 with 18 RBIs.
"He's unconscious right now," Vols second baseman Christian Moore said. "He's seeing beach balls. If you get on base, he's going to drive you in."
The Vols tallied six of their eight runs with two outs to deliver coach Tony Vitello his 200th victory early in his sixth season. He is the fastest coach in Tennessee history to reach 200 wins, attaining the feat in 279 games — Rod Delmonico held the previous mark at 302.
"I like this win as much as any this year," Vitello said. "It was a grind it out deal that spiraled into a big inning, but it was a very small margin for error game."
Tennessee and Gonzaga play again Saturday night at 6.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.