Georgia baseball scored five runs in the seventh inning as Tennessee baseball blew an early lead and dropped its series rubber match in Athens, 8-7, on Sunday afternoon. The Vols got a strong offensive showing and good start from Evan Blanco before a controversial pitching decision and late game Georgia heroics cost them.
How it went down in Tennessee’s heartbreaking series finale loss at Georgia.
Tennessee Ran Georgia Starter Kenny Ishikawa Early
Tennessee’s offense got out to an early lead thanks in large part to clutch two-out hitting in the first inning. Garrett Wright was hit by a pitch for the seventh time this season to open the game and then advanced to second base on a one-out Henry Ford groundout.
Blake Grimmer worked the count full before reaching base on balls. Then Reese Chapman came up clutch, lining a two-RBI double down the left field line to give Tennessee an early lead. They weren’t done either. Manny Marin lined a one-hopper that got past second baseman Ryan Black and drove Chapman home.
Georgia starting pitcher Kenny Ishikawa retired the side in order in the second inning but ran into trouble again in the third inning. Blaine Brown led off the inning with a double to right field and Wes Johnson had seen enough, electing for Daniel Pruett to come face Henry Ford.
That move did not prove wise as Ford lined a 348 foot homer just over the wall in right center field to extend Tennessee’s lead to 5-0. That was a terrific start for Tennessee, forcing Georgia to empty its bullpen early while giving Evan Blanco some run support.
Evan Blanco Did His Job
Virginia transfer Evan Blanco took the bump for the first time in SEC play and immediately hit the ground running by striking out the side in the first inning. As has often been the case early this season, Blanco was dominant his first time through the Georgia order. He retired the first nine Bulldogs he faced while striking out five.
From there, Blanco had to work through much more traffic. The left-handed pitcher walked consecutive Bulldogs with one-out in the fourth inning, but promptly struck out the next two batters he faced to get out of the inning.
Georgia finally got to Blanco in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with one-out and Tre Phelps drove in a pair of runs with a two-RBI single to left field. Josh Elander somewhat surprisingly, sent Blanco back out for the sixth inning. He retired the first two batters before Brennan Hudson ended Blanco’s day with a solo homer to right field.
Blanco’s issue offering free passes continued. He walked three batters and hit another. But he allowed three runs in 5.2 innings pitched and exited with the Vols leading. The soft tossing left hander also did it with it raining during most of his outing. It was an outing Tennessee would sign up for from Blanco every week.
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A Poor Josh Elander Coaching Move Cost Tennessee
Tennessee added an insurance run, pushing its lead back to 6-3 in the top half of the seventh inning. But things went awry in the bottom half.
Brayden Krenzel, who relieved Blanco and retired the final batter of the sixth inning, struck out Kolby Branch to begin the seventh inning. But that’s where things went awry. A single and consecutive walks loaded the bases before Georgia star Daniel Jackson drove in a pair of runs with a single to center field.
At this point it was pretty evident that Krenzel just didn’t have it. The right-handed pitcher was missing badly with his off-speed pitches and Jackson made him pay for a fastball right down the middle. But Josh Elander rolled with Krenzel against Bryce Calloway.
The slugging designated hitter made him pay, blasting a middle-middle fastball to right field for a go-ahead three-run homer.
Tennessee’s bullpen was in a solid spot too with Bo Rhudy, Brady Frederick and Mark Hindy still fresh. Elander’s decision to roll with Krenzel proved disastrous as the Vols never recovered.
The Heartbreak Wasn’t Done
Credit to Tennessee for showing fight after blowing the lead. The Vols trailed by two runs entering the ninth inning and quickly cut it to one run when Blake Grimmer led off the inning with a solo homer.
Caleb Jameson retired the next two batters he faced before Levi Clark reached base for the fourth time on the afternoon with a single to left field. Georgia went to reliever Justin Byrd to face Stone Lawless.
Coming off the bench, Tennessee’s catcher launched a fly ball to left field and bat spiked like he hit a go-ahead homer. Only Georgia left fielder Cole Johnson went up and over the wall to rob what would have been a ninth inning go-ahead home run.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee returns to the field Tuesday night when they host Eastern Kentucky in a midweek matchup. First pitch is at 6 p.m. ET at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols then face Missouri at home next weekend.
More to follow: Tennessee baseball score
