Vols get by LSU to start

A quick deficit. A 30-minute lightning delay, and an impressive start by the opposing pitcher.

Tennessee was expected to encounter significant adversity in Saturday night’s opening game of its NCAA super regional against longtime power LSU, but the Volunteers once again overcame the setbacks in posting a 4-2 victory before a rain-soaked but energized crowd at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Vols trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth but sent nine to the plate and scratched out three runs to get within one win of a College World Series berth.

The Vols are also one triumph shy of a 50-win season, improving to 49-16 with their fourth victory over the Tigers (38-24) in four tries, with the second game of this best-ofthree series set for Sunday afternoon at 3 on ESPN2.

Saturday’s game ended with Vols reliever Sean Hunley striking out Jordan Thompson with runners on second and third.

A random downpour could not deter Chad Doughty from launching a home run to right field off Tennessee starter Chad Dallas in the second inning. The Vols were hitless through two innings, and the game was halted by lightning before the start of the third with LSU leading 1-0, which sent both teams off the field and back to their respective quarters.

“We talked about seven times as a coaching staff about whether we were going into that locker room and talking to the players or not,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said on the ESPN2 telecast. “We never did, but when we came back, we were loosened up when we restarted the thing.”

Dallas worked six innings and recorded 12 strikeouts, the highest single-game performance of his career.