Tennessee baseball turned in one of its most complete performances of the season to knock off Mississippi State 6-2 and clinch the weekend series on Saturday night. The Vols jumped on the Bulldogs early and didn’t look back as young hitters stepped up and a pair of pitchers dealt.
Here’s how Tennessee got it done to clinch the weekend series against the ninth-ranked Bulldogs.
Tennessee Jumped On Mississippi State Early
It took just nine pitches for Tennessee to open the scoring on Monday night as Reese Chapman bashed a 377 foot solo homer to right field in the first inning. It was the first of four early runs Tennessee scored to open up an early lead.
The Vols did the bulk of their damage in the third inning while playing strong situational baseball. Trent Grindlinger and Manny Marin singles put two-on with one-out before a Levi Clark ground-rule double plated a run.
Jay Abernathy then drove Marin home with a well executed safety squeeze before a Garrett Wright sac fly drove Clark home and gave Tennessee an early 4-0 lead.
The Fifth Inning Was A Really Good Development For Tegan Kuhns
Tennessee’s Tegan Kuhns looked great through four innings. He allowed just one baserunner and struck out five Bulldogs. That wasn’t a new development for Kuhns as he has often looked great early in outings.
But what Kuhns showed in the fifth inning was a new and positive development. Mississippi State quickly put runners on second and third with consecutive hits to open the inning. A one-out Ryder Woodson double plated a run and kept two runners in-scoring position.
That is where Kuhns has let things get away from him or Tennessee has gone to the bullpen. But this time, Kuhns got out of the inning with a pop out and a fly out.
Kuhns retired the side around an error in the sixth inning before his day ended with a Gehrig Frei leadoff homer in the eighth inning. But gritting through that fifth inning was a sign of growth. Allowing two runs in seven innings is a highly effective start.
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Trent Grindlinger And The Back Of Tennessee’s Offense Produced
Trent Grindlinger has made himself an everyday starter over the last two weeks. After reaching base twice in Friday’s opener, Grindlinger stayed hot with a three-for-four performance in game two of the weekend set.
The freshman has been extremely impressive with his approach and consistent at-bats, something Tennessee’s lineup has sorely missed for much of the season. Grindlinger singled to left field, centerfield and right field. Just a mature approach.
Grindlinger hit in the five-spot but a number of underclassmen in the back half of the Vols’ lineup delivered.
Marin totaled three hits the other way including a double. Clark had the RBI ground-rule double. And how about Abernathy? He recorded three hits including a two-out double in the sixth inning which ended up leading to a run and a two-out RBI double in the eighth inning.
That level of production from Tennessee’s underclassmen seriously changes the outlook for this offense.
Brandon Arvidson Got Tennessee To The Finish Line
The redshirt junior relieved Kuhns after the leadoff homer in the seventh inning and turned in a strong performance. Things could have gotten dicey after a Reed Stallman grounder beat the shift to give Mississippi State a baserunner with no-one out.
But Arvidson erased the baserunner with a double play ball and largely cruised from there. He allowed four hits in three innings pitched but never allowed two baserunners at once. The lefty was strong getting Tennessee to the finish line and securing the victory.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee and Mississippi State conclude the weekend series on Sunday afternoon in Starkville. First pitch is at 2 p.m. ET with the SEC Network+ streaming the game.
