Tennessee baseball (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season Saturday to Kent State (4-2), 2-1. The loss evens the weekend series, setting the stage for a Sunday rubber match in Knoxville.
Despite a pair of highlight reel-worthy defensive plays early and a strong start from Landon Mack, Tennessee’s offense was lifeless, and a fifth-inning error proved costly in the defeat.
Here’s how it happened in front of a program-record 7,001 fans in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Abysmal Offensive Performance
Tennessee’s offense largely struggled in Friday’s win over Kent State. It struggled mightily Saturday.
The Vols had early momentum in the opening frame with a Henry Ford leadoff home run, Levi Clark one-out single, one-out Tyler Myatt hit by pitch and wild pitch to put a pair in-scoring position.
The threat was quickly thwarted after that with a strikeout and flyout, setting the stage for what was an abysmal day at the plate for the Vols.
The leadoff runner reached in the second, fourth, fifth and eighth innings, and two baserunners reached in the sixth, but Tennessee never got another run across.
On the day, Tennessee was 5-32 at the plate and a jarring 0-15 with runners on, including 0-11 with runners in scoring position.
“I think a little bit of guys just trying to do too much,” Tennessee head coach Josh Elander said when asked what led to the offensive struggles. “We had ducks on the phone all night, didn’t execute at all up to our standards. A lot of times in this league, or regardless who you’re playing now in college baseball, you don’t get a lot of redos… So, you need to do a little bit better job of guys kind of chasing down the strike zone, over-swing, and just need to slow down in that moment a little bit better.”
Beyond the poor hitting performance, Tennessee’s base-running wasn’t the best.
Jay Abernathy was thrown out trying to score on an Ariel Antigua ground ball with one out in the second. Finley Bates strangely did not tag up at second in the eighth on a high-hit fly ball when Tennessee desperately needed to get runners in prime scoring position.
“That is a standard fundamental contact play right there,” Elander said on Abernathy’s play. “You force the defense to play catch. If they do play catch like they did, then we get Ariel (Antigua) up in a scoring position. We’ve done it over the years and that’s something we’ll stick with all the time.”
Pair of Great Defensive Plays Keep Kent State Off the Board Early
Two fantastic defensive plays from outfielders Blaine Brown and Jay Abernathy prevented Kent State from scoring in the first three innings.
Tennessee starter Landon Mack struggled with his command to open the second inning, walking two batters to put a pair of runners on with one out.
Kent State seven-hole hitter Luke Matthews then knocked a single to Blaine Brown in left field, and the star sophomore hosed Ripken Reese, who walked to open the inning, at home plate.
Brown has been Tennessee’s do-it-all man so far this season. He was hitting .409 entering this weekend and opened the first midweek game of the season on the mound. He struck out all three batters he faced in a 1-2-3 inning.
On weekends, Brown has been the designated hitter or left fielder in the lineup. He showed his defensive capabilities Saturday, saving a run with his phenomenal throw.
An inning later, a two-out single and Manny Marin throwing error put runners on the corners for Kent State. A tricky flyball to the left-center gap off the bat of Ripken Reese looked poised to put the Golden Flashes on the board.
But like Brown, Jay Abernathy saved a run with an amazing diving catch. Abernathy’s athleticism is arguably his best trait, and the third-inning defensive highlight put that on display.
Without the early efforts from Brown and Abernathy, Tennessee likely loses by at least two more runs, maybe more.
Error Proves Costly in the Fifth
While Tennessee’s defense kept Kent State scoreless in innings two and three, it failed to do so in the fifth.
A pair of infield singles and a stolen base put runners on first and third with one out. Henry Ford then let a one-hopper get past him at third, allowing Kent State’s first run to score and for the runner at first to make it to third.
The error allowed Kent State to take a 2-1 lead on a fielder’s choice a batter later. Ariel Antigua attempted to complete an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play, but he sailed the throw to first well over Levi Clark’s head into the Tennessee dugout.
Ford’s error proved to be the difference in the game as the Vols’ offense never found any rhythm at the plate.
“Not good enough,” Elander said regarding the team’s overall defensive effort on the night. “You just gotta keep the ball in front. I think our guys have done a tremendous job, but sometimes when the game speeds up a little bit, guys can get in trouble. So, very simple, just need to keep the ball in front a little bit better, and I’m confident our guys will.”
Landon Mack Finishes Outing on High Note
Landon Mack turned in another above-average start Saturday. Things weren’t the smoothest but outside of command issues in the second, the other jams he got in weren’t his doing.
There’s not a runner in scoring position in the third without Marin’s error. Without Ford’s error and a pair of softly-hit infield singles in the fifth, Kent State’s pair of runs do not score.
After Kent State’s two-run fifth frame, Mack shut down the Flashes for the remainder of his outing, retiring all five he faced in the sixth and seventh innings with four strikeouts and a groundout.
The Rutgers transfer’s day ended after his 11th strikeout for out number two in the seventh, a new career-best.
“Elite stuff,” Elander said regarding Mack. “He was trying to stay out there a little bit longer, but we got him right over that 90-pitch count mark. That was the one great thing of the night – him and Art (Brandon Arvidson) really threw the baseball well. It gives us a lot of confidence. We’re stacking those two up moving forward in the next week.”
Brandon Arvidson Shines in Season Debut
Star redshirt-junior left-hander Brandon Arvidson made his season debut on the mound for Tennessee Saturday, relieving Mack in the seventh.
Arvidson gave up a double to his first batter but faced the minimum for the remainder of his outing.
The Dripping Springs, Texas, struck out five of eight batters faced and allowed just one hit and no walks.
“It’s just real stuff,” Elander said about Arvidson’s outing. “There’s a different world where he’s healthy and probably starts on the weekend for us out of the gate. We’ll play it safe with him. It’s a mature guy that has really come a long way mentally from where he was last year to this year. The stuff continues to get better and he’s a guy we are very confident in.”
Although Tennessee’s offense didn’t do enough to get the win, Arvidson looking the part in his first 2026 appearance is a big positive for the Vols.
Up Next
Tennessee will look to bounce back and win the series in Sunday’s rubber match in Knoxville. First pitch is at 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network +. Senior Evan Blanco will start on the mound.
