Freshman Adkins looks sharp, 13-3

Freshman pitcher Adam Adkins isn’t accustomed to losing. His 26-0 career record and 1.13 ERA while at Goodpasture Christian School make it hard to believe he was even challenged.

Adkins (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory in Tennessee’s 13-3 win over UNC Asheville (4-19, 2-6 Big South) on Wednesday at soggy Lindsay Nelson Stadium. The left hander worked five scoreless innings, striking out five while allowing only two hits.

“I felt real good, a little shaky at the start but settled down after that,” Adkins said.

Adkins credited hard work for his transition into early season success with the Vols,

“The college game is a lot harder, a lot more fast paced. It’s a whole world of difference … it’s a lot of hard work,” he said.

In his three starts for the Vols (11-12, 1-5 SEC), Adkins has allowed five runs — four earned — and has as many strikeouts, nine, as hits given up.

“Adam pitched well. The first inning he got in trouble, gave up two hits, but after that I thought he settled down and made some pitches,” said UT coach Todd Raleigh.

“Anytime you go scoreless, I don’t care who it’s against, as a freshman and go five innings, it’s pretty good.”

Adkins worked out of trouble in the first inning after a Kevin Weidenbacher single and a Justin Schumer double put runners on second and third with only one out. Designated hitter Beau Zinman grounded out to first base and Reed Keiser was called out on strikes to end the inning.

The Bulldogs’ scoring threat in the first would prove to be the only obstacle for Adkins, who breezed through the next four innings, retiring the next 13 batters before issuing his only walk in the fifth.

Cody Hawn of UT drove in his 32nd and 33rd runs on the year with a two-run line drive home run over the right field wall in the first.

Kentrail Davis’ RBI-triple started an eight-run sixth that saw 12 Vols come to the plate. Josh Liles, Zach Osborne and Hawn each had RBI singles as Asheville used four pitchers, who combined to issue six walks, over the course of the inning.

In Tennessee’s two midweek wins, the pitching staff has allowed a combined four runs and 16 hits while striking out 25 batters against Western Carolina and Asheville.

The two wins help give UT a push before the weekend series against Georgia (19-3, 7-3 SEC) that starts Friday.

“It gives us some momentum,” Raleigh said. “We got to play a lot of guys, pitchers who wanted to work got work in, and so I think it gives us a lot of momentum … pitchers keeping you in those games, it gives your team a different feeling winning those games.”