Tony Vitello details the importance of offensive success from Tennessee's outfield

No. 18 Tennessee earned a 5-0 win over No. 13 South Carolina on the road Friday thanks to some big-time at-bats from their outfielders.

After the game, head coach Tony Vitello praised their stellar performance in the absence of star Jared Dickey. All three landed hits of some consequence — and all contributed to a huge Volunteer victory.

“[Christian] Scott is an older guy but when we look at lineups we’re playing or our lineup, you look at at-bats,” Vitello said. “He hasn’t accumulated as many at-bats as some guys in this league. He’s seen a lot but he needed to get out there and play and be an everyday guy and experience the things that come with that. Not just physically but mentally.

“Now all three of those guys that were out there today need — Dylan [Dreiling] is still a little lower on them being a freshman and not as many starts defensively but [Jared] Dickey being out meant he got an opportunity and he took advantage of it. It allows Griffin [Merritt] to do his thing too in that spot. He took some of the best swings I’ve seen him take in that spot all year, tonight even though it wasn’t his most explosive night. Good stuff from all of the outfielders including Griff.”

Dickey is dealing with a shoulder injury, giving Dreiling the go-ahead in left field. The freshman ended the game going 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Scott and Merritt — who was the designated hitter on Friday — also recorded hits on the day as well. Scott was walked twice and scored three runs for the Vols.

CF Hunter Ensley was the real star for Tennessee, though. He went 4-for-5 at the plate to go with three RBIs.

Tennessee ended up logging five runs on 10 hits including 11 walks. The hitting was complemented by starting RHP Andrew Lindsey’s masterful performance on the mound. The junior threw 8.1 innings of three-hit baseball that included five strikeouts. He throw 103 total pitches — 63 of which were called strikes. Aaron Combs relieved Lindsey with one down in the ninth and went on to strike out the only two batters he faced in six pitches.

Game two between the Gamecocks and Volunteers is set for 2 p.m. ET as a part of a two-game double-header live on the SEC Network. Game three is set for 5 p.m. ET on the same network. A win for the Vols would pit them one step closer to locking up a spot as a regional host in the NCAA Tournament.