KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Josh Madole had a day, in what proved to a be a losing effort for UNCG baseball. The junior went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI on the night as the Spartans took their first series loss of 2021. UNCG's nine runs fell short of a Tennessee offense that got hot in the middle innings, as the Vols clinched the weekend on a 14-9 final this Saturday.

For the second night in a row, both teams went scoreless in the first inning, but this time it would be the visiting Spartans to break the draw, hanging three on the Volunteers in the visiting half of the second. David Flores put the lead man on for UNCG with a single to right, tallying his second knock of the weekend. The starting right fielder wouldn't wait very long before being brought home, with first baseman Josh Madole delivering a two-run homer to right center in the next at bat. Working to a hitter's count of 3-1, Madole delivered his first jack of the season to give his team their first lead of the weekend, making it an early 2-0 lead for the Spartans with a single swing of the bat. 

UNCG made it 3-0 later in the inning. Spencer Smith delivered a two-out triple, his first in a Spartan uniform, which was followed by Dallas Callahan's RBI single. The home club responded in kind however, putting up three of their own to tie things up before the start of the third, collecting four hits in the process.

After tying their hit total from Friday in the second inning alone, the Spartan offense wasn't done yet, taking back the lead with four more runs in the third. Corey Rosier drew a six-pitch walk to give UNCG the leadoff man on for the second straight inning, and once again that runner was brought home on a two-run homer.

Hogan Windish tallied his sides' fourth long ball of the weekend on a fly to right field, with his fifth home run of the year putting him in a tie with Rosier for a team-high, and giving his team the go-ahead runs against the Volunteers in the third.

Pres Cavenaugh continued the Spartans' success at the plate with a walk, stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch. Madole collected his third RBI of the night with a groundout to double up on the Vols at 6-3. 

The Spartans had a bit of two-out rally to close out the frame, with Zack Budzik getting on with a single through the middle. The UNCG third baseman stole his second base of the weekend, and his seventh of the year, to get into scoring position, before Smith's second knock of the night drove home the speedy infielder and put the visitors ahead 7-4. 

Offense remained almost entirely with the home team after that inning, with the Vols first starting their comeback with a run apiece in the fourth and the fifth. Tennessee then exploded for six in the home half of the sixth to gain its first lead of the night, an advantage they would hold until the final.

Trailing by seven, the Spartans did make an attempt at a rally in the visiting half of the ninth, thanks in part to some prime pinch-hitting appearances from the UNCG bench. Grant Jarman and Coleman Sawyer led off the frame with back-to-back hits with the latter collecting his first double of the season, while another pinch-hit appearance from Sam Koruschak loaded the bases on a seven-pitch walk. Rosier delivered his third knock of the series to bring in Jarman, and Windish collected an RBI on a sac fly, but time would run out on a UNCG comeback with the final reading 14-9 in favor of Tennessee. 

>>> The Spartan offense has now had multiple homers in four straight games, and five of their last six
>>> Madole reached first safely three times on the night, collecting his second knock of the evening during the eighth and drawing a walk in the sixth
>>> Nine different Spartans crossed home plate on the night, while Madole and Windish tied for a team-best three runs driven in

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