Next Game: at #8 Ole Miss 3/17/2018 | 2:30 P.M. ET SEC Network + (WatchESPN)

Notables

A six-run seventh inning and a handful of clutch defensive plays led Tennessee to an 8-6 victory in its SEC opener over No. 8 Ole Miss at Oxford-University Stadium on Friday night.The win marked the first SEC victory for first-year head coachand the first win for the Volunteers over a ranked opponent on the road since beating No. 7 Florida, 3-2, on April 8 of last year.Sophomore shortstopbroke a 2-2 tie with two-run double in the seventh before seniorcontinued his hot hitting with a three-run triple to clear the bases later in the inning.Freshman left handerearned his second straight win after pitching 6.2 innings. The Mississippi native allowed two runs in the bottom of the first before holding the Rebels scoreless for the next 5.2 innings.Hard-throwing rightypicked up his second save of the season after throwing the final 2.1 innings. The sophomore did not allow a single hit and brought the heat with an array of fastballs that clocked in between 94-96 MPH.Tennessee's defense also made a couple of huge plays in clutch situations, including turning three double plays on the night. Two of the double plays came in the eighth and ninth innings with the Rebels trailing by just two runs.Ole Miss (17-2) jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. A miscommunication in the outfield allowed Grae Kessinger to lead off the frame with a double. He came around to score on an RBI groundout by Nick Fortes. Will Golsan made it 2-0 with an RBI double to right center later in the inning.The Big Orange responded immediately with two runs in the top of the second to tie the game. Leftridge led off the inning with a double and came around to score on a triple off the wall in left field byone batter later. A wild pitch by Rebels starter Ryan Rolison allowed Ammons to score and tie the game at two.A huge defensive play by Ammons kept the Rebels from taking the lead in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on the corners and no outs, Ammons caught a fly ball in shallow right field and threw out Tim Elko at home plate to keep the game tied at two.The Vols exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh to break the 2-2 tie and take an 8-2 lead. Lipcius came up with two outs and the bases loaded and delivered with a two-run double to left field to put UT ahead for the first time.After Ole Miss decided to intentionally walkto load the bases, Leftridge made them pay with a bases-clearing triple to left-center field that put the Orange and White up by five. Leftridge scored the final run of the inning on a passed ball to make it 8-2.The Rebels came right back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, all with two outs. Elko started the rally with a single up the middle and came around to score on a single by Jacob Adams. Another single by Kessinger put two runners on for Ryan Olenek, who sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left field for a three-run homer to cut the lead to 8-6.However, following the home run by Olenek, Linginfelter came in to close the door on the Rebels' comeback attempt, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings to earn the save and secure a series-opening victory for the Vols.andboth had huge performances at the plate for Tennessee on Friday night. Lipcius went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI while Leftridge had a pair of extra-base hits, scored twice and drove in three runs. The duo combined to drive in five of the Vols' eight runs on the night.Sophomore right handerwas huge for the Vols out of the bullpen on Friday night. The Sevierville, Tenn., native came in with the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh and struck out Ole Miss cleanup hitter Thomas Dillard looking with a 95 MPH fastball to end a big rally for the Rebels.Linginfelter did not allow a hit in his 2.1 innings of work en route to earning his second save of the year and the fifth of his career.The Vols will look to win the series tomorrow afternoon in game two of the weekend series. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. ET and fans can watch the game live on SEC Network + (WatchESPN) or listen on Sports Radio WNML / UTSports.com.