Tennessee looked to bounce back against the No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels in game two at a checkered Lindsey Nelson Stadium and tie the series, but ultimately the Vols couldn’t get the job done, falling 8-1 and dropping the series.
It was a tale of two different teams for Tennessee tonight. The pitching staff excelled through six, but Tennessee’s bats didn’t heat up until the very end.
Tegan Kuhns was the starter for the Vols tonight and put on a dominant performance on the mound, earning himself a career night. Kuhns pitched through five and two-thirds innings, throwing a career-high of 96 pitches, allowing no runs, and earning ten strikeouts, tying his career-high he previously recorded this season against UCLA.
After holding the Rebels scoreless during his time on the mound, Josh Elander brought in left-handed freshman Cam Appenzeller to close out the sixth. Appenzeller has been one who has looked consistent throughout SEC play, but that was not the case tonight as he began to struggle in the seventh, ultimately giving up a run and giving the Rebels the lead, one to nothing.
Appenzeller would lose all control in the top of the 9th, when Ole Miss’s Tristan Bissetta hit a grand slam, giving the Rebels a six-to-nothing lead late in the game.
But the chaos wouldn’t stop there, as Tennessee’s bullpen struggled and Ole Miss took full advantage of it.
Brady Frederick came in to relieve Appenzeller and let up a solo homerun to his first batter, Judd Utermark. He was then pulled and relieved by Taylor Tracey, who allowed one run scored, putting the Rebels on top eight-to-nothing heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The Vols’ pitching may have fallen apart late into the game, but the bigger problem was the offense, as they recorded only two hits on the night.
Tennessee’s bats struggled to find momentum for the majority of the game, not reaching a base until the bottom of the fifth inning when Blake Grimmer was hit by a pitch from Ole Miss pitcher Cade Townsend.
And the first hit from the Vols came from Garrett Wright in the sixth inning, which, for a moment, was looking like the Vols would have a chance to put some runs on the board. But they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity, leaving runners stranded at second and third.
After a scoreless six innings, Elander began making some changes to the lineup, including bringing in Tyler Myatt and Stone Lawless, who made his first appearance since the Vanderbilt series, where he suffered a facial injury. But nothing seemed to work for the Vols.
That was until the bottom of the ninth when Trent Grindlinger hit a solo homerun, recording the only run scored for the Vols of the night.
Tennessee will return home tomorrow to face Ole Miss in the final game of the series at 1 p.m. Eastern, looking to avoid a series sweep.
