Tony Vitello credits Tennessee fans in close series-opening win over Vanderbilt

Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt 3-2 in the series opener on Friday. Liam Doyle (9-2, 2.17 ERA) logged 12 strikeouts compared to three hits during the victory. It was another quality start for the Tennessee ace.

The victory was Tennessee’s 39th overall on the season — that includes their 28th victory at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Tennessee fanbase has given the Volunteers an extra boost all season. So it came as no surprise that head coach Tony Vitello credited the fans on hand for helping provide some additional help to his players on the diamond in such a close matchup.

“It’s a one-run game, and we’re playing at home, and there’s been some weird games where just because of the rain, or basketball, or weird start times, maybe you could argue we didn’t have a lightning bolt of energy to put us over the edge,” Vitello said after the win on Friday. “Or maybe our players didn’t provide the energy for them to do that. But in a game like this, you can’t write it down. I think the Seahawks say something (12th Man). Another program (Texas A&M) is trying to say this number, add a number to the guys you have out there, but it helped us win a game. Period.

“And who’s to say a guy makes a base running mistake because it’s so loud and the crowds going crazy. I mean, I know Hunter [Ensley] made a great catch, and Dean [Curley] gets credit for spotting that deal, but it was an influence, for sure.”

Ensley’s great catch refers to when he made a leaping catch at the center field wall in the bottom of the sixth inning that robbed a potential game-tying home run. He was able to throw out the baserunner for a double play and end the inning. At the plate, he added two hits and a run to another strong performance.

For Curley, he joined Ensley with a two-hit night. Dalton Bargo also logged two hits to round out the best of Tennessee’s batting efforts during the series opener.

As much as the Tennessee fanbase aided the Volunteers in victory during Friday’s matchup, the same could not be said about Saturday’s game two. Vanderbilt would even the series with a 10-6 victory, setting up the rubber match on Sunday afternoon, the sixth-straight for Tennessee. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN2.