Dylan Dreiling homer sends No. 1 Tennessee baseball to win vs Queens before Vanderbilt series
Dylan Dreiling made certain that Tennessee baseball's first game as the No. 1 team in the nation would end well.
The Vols outfielder pulverized a three-run homer in the seventh inning at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, pushing top-ranked Tennessee to a midweek win.
Tennessee (40-9) edged Queens (12-37) 6-3 on Tuesday after Dreiling's latest clutch hit.
Mr. Clutch with the breakthrough!
📺 https://t.co/GdQuvaNrLB (SECN+)#GBO // #OTH // #BeatQueenspic.twitter.com/EPO8EY4rhY— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 8, 2024
The Vols have won at least 40 games in five straight full seasons for the second time in program history. UT also did it from 1993-97.
UT plays at Vanderbilt in a three-game series starting Friday (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
Dylan Dreiling made Queens pay for an intentional walk
Tennessee tied Queens 3-3 in the seventh inning on a Billy Amick groundout. Queens intentionally walked Kavares Tears to bring up Dreiling, who has a knack for clutch hitting in his career.
He mashed the second pitch he saw for a three-run homer. Dreiling had the game-tying homer in Tennessee's walk-off win against Vanderbilt in April 2023. Dreiling hit a go-ahead grand slam against Georgia on March 30. He also had the go-ahead two-run single against LSU on April 13.
Dalton Bargo set the stage in the seventh inning with a pinch-hit single ahead of a Christian Moore single. Blake Burke moved the runners up before Amick's RBI groundout.
Dylan Loy stabilized Tennessee baseball with a career outing
Dylan Loy, a freshman pitcher and former star at Pigeon Forge, stepped in after a terrible start from Marcus Phillips.
Loy threw a career-best 3⅓ innings. He held Queens scoreless, struck out five and allowed two hits with no walks. Phillips lasted ⅓ inning and left the with the bases loaded after walking in a run.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dylan Dreiling homer lifts No. 1 Tennessee baseball to win vs Queens