While Tennessee’s offense managed hits in the second and third inning, today it was freshman shortstop Dean Curly’s fourth-inning, three-run home run that helped Tennessee pull away from Albany for an eventual ———
While the offense was struggling to plate runs, Drew Beam looked like the preseason All-American candidate he is, giving up on run in the first after a single, a subsequent double and a sacrifice grounder back to Beam that let the runner at third make it home.
But after that, Beam was dazzling. He struck out the next two batters on six pitches to end the half inning:
In the second, he forced two ground-ball outs and a strikeout before running into a bit of a jam in the third. Two-straight singles put him in perfect position for another groundball, and his defense turned two — with a great stretch by Burke to complete the play… he’s really improved his dexterity and it’s translated a higher quality defensive player.
A Dyland Dreiling walk followed by a Billy Amick single amounted to nothing in the bottom-half of the third, but then Beam mowed down three Albany hitters in just seven pitches to start the fourth.
