Thursday & Friday Night Round-Up
Week 10 — Most series are two games deep, and the final weekend of the regular season has not disappointed
A quick note before we get into it — this isn’t your typical Friday night recap. Most of these series have already played two games, so we’re doing a full two-game breakdown for each. A lot is already decided. A few series are heading into rubber games today. Here’s where everything stands.
#12 Arkansas at Kentucky — Series Tied 1-1
Kentucky took game one 4-3 and made an interesting decision to bring in Jaxon Jelkin — their Friday night ace — to close it out. That tells you everything you need to know about how much this series means to them.
But Arkansas bounced back Friday and evened it up 5-4 behind a terrific collective pitching performance. Gabe Gaeckle, Steele Eaves, and Ethan McElvain combined to strike out sixteen batters. That’s a statement. Arkansas is doing what Arkansas does this time of year — they find a way.
Rubber match today. Should be a really good one.
South Carolina at Vanderbilt — Vanderbilt leads 2-0
Vanderbilt has taken care of business in both games and is one win away from the sweep.
Thursday night, Connor Fennell got the win going 6 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out seven in a 9-1 victory. Then on Friday, they went up 6-0 in the first inning, led 7-0 after three, and cruised to a 9-5 final. Braden Holcomb went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Tim Corbin’s guys are taking care of business this weekend.
#15 Ole Miss at #18 Alabama — Series Tied 1-1
Alabama took game one Thursday 5-4 in a really close, well-played game. Tyler Fay was outstanding — seven innings, three earned runs, 11 strikeouts against that Ole Miss lineup. Hunter Elliott settled in nicely after the first inning and had a solid outing. A really good win for Alabama.
Then Ole Miss came back and dominated game two. Taylor Rabe was absolutely filthy — six innings, one hit, one walk, 13 strikeouts. He and JP Robertson combined for a two-hit shutout. Zane Adams went five innings and gave up five earned on three walks with seven strikeouts — not terrible, but Ole Miss got to him and blew the game open after he exited.
Series is tied. Rubber match today.
Missouri at #6 Texas — Texas leads 2-0
Texas has been dominant and is one win away from the sweep.
Game one, Dylan Volantis bounced back exactly the way you hoped — seven innings, one earned run, eleven strikeouts. He looked like himself again. Carson Tinney went 2-for-4 with a home run.
Game two, Texas went up 10-0 early and won 11-6, allowing a six-spot in the seventh. Luke Harrison went 6 1/3 innings, four earned runs, six strikeouts — pitched well for most of it before running into trouble late. But Texas was never in danger. They’ve handled Missouri exactly the way they were supposed to.
#19 Florida at LSU — Florida leads 2-0
This series is essentially over. Jay Johnson confirmed that William Schmidt and Casan Evans are not pitching this weekend — LSU is saving them for the SEC Tournament. So Florida should sweep.
That context aside, Florida has still done the job. Game one, Florida jumped out 6-0 in the first inning and won 11-8, with LSU scoring some runs late to make it closer than it looked. Aidan King gave up four earned runs but kept Florida in it. Steven Milam went 3-for-5 with a home run for LSU.
Game two, Liam Peterson was dominant — seven innings, 11 strikeouts — and Florida cruised to an 11-1 win. LSU’s best arms are being saved, but Florida’s pitching and hitting has looked sharp regardless.
Tennessee at Oklahoma — Tennessee leads 1-0, Game 2 Suspended
Tennessee took game one 9-7 in a back-and-forth game. Tegan Kuhns wasn’t his sharpest and Cam Johnson was uneven for Oklahoma, but Tennessee had enough to edge it out.
Game two hit a weather delay and will resume today with Tennessee leading 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. If they hold on, Tennessee takes the series. A big weekend for them heading into the tournament.
Georgia at Auburn — Georgia leads 2-0
Georgia has been impressive. Genuinely impressive.
Thursday night, Joey Volchko went five innings, allowed one run, and struck out six in a 2-1 pitching duel. Daniel Jackson hit a solo home run. Ryan Wynn added another solo shot in the sixth. That was all Georgia needed.
Friday, Georgia won 9-7 in a much more offensive game. Georgia scored five in the first inning, Auburn came back with two of their own in the bottom of the first, and it was a slugfest from there. Dylan Vigue scattered hits and runs but kept Georgia in it long enough for the offense to take over.
Auburn doesn’t lose at home. Georgia has beaten them twice on the road. That’s a statement about how good this Georgia team really is.
#13 Mississippi State at #10 Texas A&M — Series Tied 1-1
Nearly fifty runs scored in two games. That’s the headline.
Mississippi State took game one 18-11 behind Tomas Valincius, who got the win but gave up six earned runs in five innings. Gavin Grohovec went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Valincius has had a couple of rough outings lately, and his final line here is worth keeping an eye on as we head into the postseason — he’s been one of the best arms in the conference all year, so hopefully it’s just a blip.
Texas A&M fired back and won game two 11-9. Shane Sdao started and gave up five earned runs, but the offense did enough to bail the staff out. Caden Sorrell was the story — 3-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs. That’s a nice performance for him heading into the SEC tourney.
Crazy offensive series. Rubber match today.
Looking Ahead
A few rubber games today, a suspended game to finish, and a Florida team that should close out the sweep. The final day of the regular season is here, and then it’s on to Hoover.
A lot of baseball left to play.