Friday Night Round-Up
A short one this week — two postponements, a walk-off, and some Friday night aces doing their thing
Quick one this week.
Two series got pushed back due to weather — South Carolina at LSU and Auburn at Texas A&M are both postponed and will play doubleheaders today. So we’ve got a lighter recap than usual, but the games we did get were full of storylines.
Let’s get into it.
#24 Alabama Takes the Series Over Vanderbilt
Alabama wrapped up the series yesterday, taking it two games to none after winning game one on Friday night and closing it out 5-0 on Saturday.
Friday night was the more dramatic of the two. Connor Fennell was pitching really well — and then Tim Corbin pulled him after 70 pitches on what felt like a questionable decision. Alabama tied it immediately after he came out and won it on a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. Tyler Fay did his job, kept Alabama in the game, and the bullpen did the rest.
Saturday was a lot cleaner. Zane Adams went six shutout innings with six strikeouts and looked really sharp. Justin LeBron went 2-for-4 to pace the offense. Alabama handled business, 5-0, and took the series convincingly.
Rob Thompson had the guys ready, and this was a big series win for them.
#5 Georgia 4, Missouri 0
Closer than people probably expected, but Georgia got the job done.
Josh McDevitt actually pitched really solid baseball for Missouri — 6 1/3 innings of quality work. But Joey Volchko outdueled him completely. Six shutout innings, nine strikeouts. He walked a few guys and let some runners on, but he controlled the game from the first pitch and never let Missouri get comfortable.
Georgia tacked on one in the seventh and two in the eighth to put it away. Volchko was the story, and this was exactly the kind of start you want from him.
Kentucky 9, Tennessee 2
This one was a shock.
Tegan Kuhns had been absolutely dominant recently — back-to-back great starts, moving into that Friday night role and looking like a legitimate ace. And then Kentucky got to him. He got hit around, and it just wasn’t his night.
On the other side, Ben Cleaver had the best start of his season. Seven shutout innings, four strikeouts. He was really, really good and completely controlled the game.
Kentucky takes game one of the series, 9-2, and now controls things heading into today, with Jaxon Jelkin going in game two. Genuinely one of the more surprising results of the weekend so far.
#22 Arkansas 12, #17 Ole Miss 2
Ole Miss came in ranked and with real momentum. Arkansas made a statement.
Hunter Dietz continues to be one of the most reliable Friday night arms in the entire conference. Six innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts. He has been dominant ever since moving into that Friday night role.
Kuhio Aloy went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Arkansas offense, and it was never really close after the early innings. A 10-run win over a ranked Ole Miss team is a big deal. Arkansas is playing their best baseball of the year right now.
#15 Oklahoma 4, #25 Florida 3
Oklahoma came from behind and stole one.
Florida led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and Oklahoma put up three runs to walk it off, 4-3. Jason Boden got the win in relief. Connor Larkin went 2-for-4 and was a big part of the offensive push.
On the other side, Aidan King left with the lead after seven solid innings again. He’s been one of the most consistent Friday night arms in the SEC all year. Florida just couldn’t hold it in the end.
Oklahoma gets a big home win and takes game one of the series.
#4 Texas 3, #10 Mississippi State 1
Dylan Volantis. Six shutout innings. 12 strikeouts.
That’s the whole story.
He has been absolutely dominant since taking over that Friday night role, and last night was more of the same. Mississippi State’s Valincius wasn’t bad — five innings, three earned runs, five strikeouts — he just ran into the wrong guy on the wrong night.
Sam Kozart came in and got the save in relief. Aiden Robbins went 1-for-4 with the lone RBI for Texas. Texas just continues to look like a complete, well-built baseball team that beats good opponents consistently.
Mississippi State fought, but Texas is just operating at a different level right now on Friday nights.
Looking Ahead to Today
Two series to keep a close eye on today beyond the normal game twos — South Carolina at LSU and Auburn at Texas A&M are both playing doubleheaders after last night’s postponements. A lot of baseball to be played, and both of those series have major postseason implications.
Should be a full, chaotic, great Saturday of SEC baseball.