Tennessee had the rare opportunity Saturday night to be the visiting team inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
So the Volunteers decided to jump on top and stay on top.
Gavin Kilen, Andrew Fischer, Dean Curley and Cannon Peebles combined for 10 of Tennessee’s 12 hits as the NCAA tournament’s No. 14 overall seed defeated Cincinnati 10-6 to get within one game of winning the Knoxville Regional and advancing to next weekend’s super regional round. The Vols are seeking a fifth consecutive super regional appearance.
“Dean is the one who sticks out because he has just freed himself up to play,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said afterward in a news conference. “Guys hitting the ball hard right at people is probably an overused statement, but he’s hit a lot of balls hard that he hasn’t gotten credit for in recent weeks.
“He’s doing it so often, though, that he is getting credit, and it’s good to see.”