CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Interstat) — Tennessee (38-21) meets VCU (37-24) on Saturday afternoon in an NCAA Division I Baseball Championship playoff game at Boshamer Stadium. The winner advances in the regional bracket.

The Volunteers, seeded in the Chapel Hill Regional, dropped their opener Friday 7-3 in 14 innings to East Carolina. Right-hander Evan Blanco was the bright spot, allowing one earned run over seven innings with four strikeouts. Over his past four starts, Blanco has posted a 3.91 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 23 innings, but he has been inconsistent — he gave up five earned runs in three innings May 20 at Arkansas.

VCU, the seed, was shut out 8-0 by host North Carolina on Friday. Right-hander Patrick Steitz started and allowed four earned runs in four innings without a hit (three walks, three strikeouts). Steitz has been effective in his previous four appearances, compiling a 1.50 ERA over 17⅔ innings with 17 strikeouts, including a six-inning, one-hit shutout of Davidson on May 14.

Tennessee’s lineup is paced by second baseman Blake Grimmer, who homered and drove in two runs Friday. The Volunteers have won four of their last six games, including a 14-9 victory over Texas on May 9. Their offense averages 7.6 runs per game this season.

VCU counters with a balanced attack. The Rams have won four of five entering the regional, with their only loss coming Friday. They posted 13 runs against Saint Joseph’s on May 22 and 18 runs against Rhode Island on May 23.

Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.