Tennessee baseball was back at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Monday afternoon for a short four inning scrimmage two days after playing a nine inning intrasquad scrimmage in Chattanooga.
It was a short afternoon of work with just two pitchers throwing for each team. Brandon Arvidson had the best best of any pitcher, striking out three and allowing just one baserunner in two innings pitched. Duke transfer Mark Hindy started for the other team and things were immediately rocky as freshmen Alex Bedford and Nathan Eisfelder started off the bottom of the first inning with extra base hits.
A Garrett Wright (Bowling Green transfer) bunt single put runners on the corners with no-one out and one run already home. But Hindy did a great job of limiting the damage, getting a double play and then striking out Trent Grindlinger on a nasty breaking ball. Hindy retired the side in the second inning around a two-out hit batter.
Kennesaw State transfer RHP Bo Rhudy worked his way around a one-out Henry Ford double and Hunter High walk in the third inning before running into trouble in the fourth. Eisenfelder singled with one-out before Rice two-way Blaine Brown mashed a two-run homer to right field and freshman Cash Williams made it back-to-back. Those three earned runs in the fourth inning proved to be the difference in the short scrimmage.
Brown has been impressive in the little bit I’ve watched him this fall. He also made a nice catch against the wall in right field. That catch came on Eisfelder fly ball. The freshman Eisfelder had a great day serving as a designated hitter for both teams. Two hits, including a double, and the fly out to the wall.
Freshman utility man Cash Williams has also been super impressive when I’ve watched this fall. He’s mashed the ball and caught a pair of runners stealing while catching last week.
With a short scrimmage, that was about all that stood out from a performance standpoint. Wright tacked on a second hit following the bunt single. But there were some interesting position notes.
The orange team infield was Levi Clark at first base, Ariel Antigua at second, Manny Marin at shortstop and Jay Abernathy at third for most the day. Abernathy has spent more time in the infield then I’ve expected early on in the fall.
Tony Vitello said last week that Henry Ford was there version of Kris Bryant and that’s how they’ve used him. He worked at both right field and third base Monday. Tyler Myatt worked at the same two spots. Blake Grimmer continues to work at first base early in the fall. Sophomore Chris Newstrom played both centerfield and shortstop Monday.
It’s important to note that this was not a super formal scrimmage. Pitchers are on pitch counts, and each pitcher has designated innings to throw. That meant that one didn’t finish an inning due to hitting their pitch count. With that, it’s on to the stats.
More From RTI: What Tony Vitello Said Following Fall Scrimmage In Chattanooga
Grey 3, Orange 2
Orange
Hitting:
Alex Bedford — 1/2, 3B, K R
Nathan Eisfelder — 1/2, 2B, RBI, R
Garrett Wright — 2/2
Hutson Chance — 0/1, BB, GIDP
Trent Grindlinger — 0/2, K
Reese Chapman — 0/1
Manny Marin — 0/1
Jay Abernathy — 0/0, HBP, SB
Ariel Antigua — 0/1
Levi Clark — 0/0, BB
Blake Grimmer — 0/1,
Brennan Seigler — 0/1, K
Pitching:
LHP Brandon Arvidson — 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Bo Rhudy — 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Grey
Hitting:
Blaine Brown — 1/2, HR, K, 2 RBI, R
Cash Williams — 1/2, HR, K, RBI, R
Evan Hankins — 0/2
Taylor Tracey — 0/2
Jaxson Walker — 0/1
Chris Newstrom — 0/0, BB
Tyler Myatt — 0/1, K
Stone Lawless — 0/1,
Henry Ford — 1/1, 2B
Hunter High — 0/0, BB
Finley Bates — 0/1 GIDP
Ethan Moore — 0/1, K
Nathan Eisfelder — 1/1, R
Pitching:
LHP Mark Hindy — 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, K
RHP Brayden Krenzel — 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R , 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
