The Tigers showed up to Alex Box Stadium Friday night for game one of the series against Tennessee. Before the game, Paul Mainieri looked at Beau Jordan and said, “you know what would be really nice? If you hit a home run off the first pitch.” And guess what he did?
“And then he did it, and I turned to all the other guys and said, ‘you know, it finally nice to get some players to do what they are told,” said Coach Paul Mainieri. “Beau got into that one and loosened the whole team up and it was great to see. We just kept having great at bats after great at bats. We hit four home runs, and I am so happy for Jake Slaughter. Those two balls that he hit, you don’t see too many of them hit out of this ballpark in that spot, and he hit two of them out there. They were hit about as hard as a ball could possibly be hit.
“I was next to him when he said that. I was fourth, so I was in double hole, and when it happened, Antoine walked out and I was right next to coach and coach just turned around and he was like ‘I told him to do that.’ Then, the whole inning, he was talking about how he told Beau to do it and he came through and how somebody listens to him,” said Austin Bain.
Zack Hess pitched seven innings, holding Tennessee to three hits and one run. He had eight strikeouts in the Tigers’ 9-3 win 
Zack is really great. I think that experience for him as a closer last year has helped make him a better starting pitcher because he knows how to raise his game to a different level when he needs to,” said Coach Mainieri. “But, it was a great victory. I’m really proud of the guys to win a Friday night game and now with Ma’Khail moving into the middle game tomorrow, we are really confident that we are going to go out and play really well.” 
The Tigers hope to continue their electric pitching and powerful hitting Saturday night at 8 p.m. for game two of the series against Tennessee.