KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Indiana State baseball picked up a doubleheader sweep of No. 16 Tennessee Saturday evening after defeating the Volunteers 7-5 in the second game of the day. The Sycamores improved to 3-3 on the year while the Vols suffered their first two losses of the season, dropping to 6-2.
 
Indiana State was able to get key hits early to quickly run UT's starter out the game, notching runs in four of the first five innings of action. Tennessee's Elijah Pleasants (0-1) went just two innings, allowing five runs on four hits while striking out one in the loss.
 
ISU tallied multiple runs in the first inning, less than an hour after securing the opening game win. Jordan Schaffer and Josue Urdaneta went for back-to-back singles to open the game. After a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, Diego Gines scored Schaffer on a sacrifice fly. Urdaneta came in a batter later on a wild pitch.
 
Newcomer Mike Sears picked up a welcomed first hit of his Indiana State career with a solo home run to right center in the second to extend the ISU lead to 3-0. The Sycamores continued to add to their lead in the third with another multi-run inning. After Schaffer led off the inning with a walk, Urdaneta singled up the middle to put a man in scoring position. Following Gines' walk to load the bases, Brian Fuentes poked a single to center to drive in the fourth run and Dominic Cusumano recorded a sacrifice fly to plate the second.
 
ISU took an inning off from scoring before going for two more runs in the fifth. Hot-hitting catcher Max Wright tallied his second home run of the season to lead off the inning before ISU put two more runners on base on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. UT went to the bullpen and reliever Camden Sewell was immediately welcomed to the game with a high chopper from Sean Ross to second to score another run and make it a 7-0 lead.
 
Tennessee did put together one strong inning at the plate, notching five runs in the sixth. ISU used three pitchers in the frame before Connor Fenlong was able to come in with the bases loaded and get a groundout and a strikeout to end the rally. 
 
Urdaneta and Ross led the way with two hits each for Indiana State. Schaffer and Urdaneta each scored two runs from the 1-and-2 spots in the lineup.
 
Javin Drake made his second start of the season going four innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits. Drake, who had seven strikeouts on the day, was able to work around full bases twice in the third and fourth as he got out of the innings on six strikeouts while UT came away without a run.
 
Fenlong (1-0) was credited with the victory, going 1.2 innings with two strikeouts while allowing just one hit of the six batters he faced. Tyler Grauer (2) earned the two-inning save for the Sycamores, picking up four strikeouts of the seven batters he faced.
 
The two squads will meet in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. The game is set to air on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN or a cable provider.
 
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