KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 2024 NCAA Tournament has already been packed with thrillers and surprises early in the weekend. In Knoxville, Tennessee, there have been no upsets or late-inning theatrics. Here’s a look at notables from the second day at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Southern Miss eliminated Northern Kentucky from the regional by virtue of a 6-0 defeat. Outfielder Davis Gillespie leads the way for the Golden Eagles with three RBIs so far in Knoxville. Gillespie hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning to get the scoring started in Session 3 on Saturday.
Junior Niko Mazza tossed a complete-game shutout on 120 pitches to keep Southern Miss alive in the loser’s bracket. His performance also helped preserve the pitching staff for Sunday. Sophomore Colby Allen leads the team with seven saves and also has nine wins on the year. Allen has yet to throw on the weekend.
NCAA Knoxville Winners From Friday
Tennessee jumped on Indiana’s Connor Foley early, scoring eight runs off of the hard-throwing righty in the second and third inning. Freshman Dean Curley and junior Christian Moore both had two-run homers to help provide Vols’ pitcher Drew Beam a cushion. Moore came into Friday in a four-way tie for the NCAA Division I lead in hits with 96. UT out-paced IU in the 12-6 Saturday night victory.
Beam logged 3 2/3 innings on 87 pitches against Indiana. The right-hander recorded five strikes and a walk before handing the ball to Andrew Behnke in the fourth inning. Beam dropped some curveballs for strikes and generated weak contact for the first couple of frames.
It was Devin Taylor that made the best connection for the Hoosiers. Taylor drove a fastball to opposite-field for a three-run shot to give Indiana life in the bottom of the third inning. He later exited the game, however.
Indiana will face Southern Mississippi in Sunday’s elimination game to determine who faces Tennessee. The winner will have to defeat the Vols twice to advance.
