University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Northern Illinois
Fritts' Six RBIs Lead UT Past NIU, 10-5
February 18, 2012 | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2012
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Junior Chris Fritts pounded out a career-high six RBIs with a bases-loaded double and a three-run home run to lead Tennessee to a series-clinching, 10-5, victory over Northern Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Fritts' first blow came as part of a six-run UT second inning in which the Vols sent 11 batters to the plate. His second helped fend off a Husky rally after they cut the lead to just one with five unanswered runs in the fifth through seventh frames.
Fellow classmate Drew Steckenrider also had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a single, double, RBI, run scored and two walks, while senior Wes Walker drove in a pair of runs, both coming on safety squeezes. Freshman Parker Wormsley added an RBI single in his first collegiate at-bat to round out the scoring.
Making his first career start as a Vol, junior Zack Godley twirled four shutout innings to pick up the win, striking out three and allowing just three hits on an ultra-efficient 40 pitches, including 29 strikes.
"I had a little bit of anxiousness before I started stretching and throwing but when I got on the bullpen mound and started warming up coach said he could tell that I started to settle down and started throwing good low strikes and I just took that out to the mound with me," Godley said.
Sophomore Nick Williams closed out the contest with 2.2 innings of perfect relief to pick up his fifth career save.
