By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team (20-7) lost its first game in over a week Tuesday evening, falling in Knoxville to the Tennessee Volunteers (14-8) by a final score of 6-0, snapping the team's eight-game win streak.

Tennessee jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, gathering a two-run home run off the bat of Jordan Rodgers. Starting pitcher Zach Linginfelter stymied the Tech offense over the first two innings, holding the Golden Eagles without a base runner.

The Tech squad gathered its first hit of the contest in the third inning, a single from sophomore Kevin Strohschein. The Golden Eagles couldn't get anything rolling offensively on the day, however, as four UT relievers held the visitors to four hits in the contest.

After the Vols put forth another two-run home run in the fourth to double the lead, three Golden Eagle arms held UT off the scoreboard over the next three innings.

Sophomore Nick Osborne completed the final out of the fourth frame and the entire fifth, allowing just one walk and zero hits in one and one third innings. He also fanned one. Kit Fowler covered the sixth inning, holding the Vols without a base runner while punching out one. Sophomore Marcus Evey completed the seventh frame, also holding the home team without a base runner while striking out one.

The Vols scored two more runs in the eighth to put together the six-run lead.

Gathering hits for the Golden Eagles were Alex Junior, Matt Jones, Cody Littlejohn and Strohschein.

The Tech squad will return to Cookeville Friday evening, playing host to Eastern Illinois in a three-game series at starting at 6 p.m. CT. Games two and three are set for first pitches of 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Photo by Tony Marable