Brady Frederick delivered in a crucial spot while Tyler Myatt came off the bench for the biggest swing of his young Tennessee career Friday night. Two local kids played hero as the Vols knocked off Kent State 4-3 in the series opener.
Here’s how the Vols got it done to stay unbeaten on the young season.
Kent State’s Ciaran Caughey Gave Tennessee’s Offense Trouble
The Vols struggled to find offensive success against Kent State ace Ciaran Caughey in what was a short, four inning outing. Tennessee put just one runner on base the first two innings but then had a chance to take an early lead in the third inning.
Walks from Henry Ford and Levi Clark followed by a Reese Chapman single loaded the bases with one out. But a Stone Lawless pop out and and an Ariel Antigua strikeout ended the threat.
Caughey tossed four scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking four batters and striking out four more. He exited the game with the Golden Flashes leading.
Tegan Kuhns Was Effective But Struggled With His Command
The production from Tennessee ace Tegan Kuhns was strong against Kent State. He allowed just one run in 5.2 innings pitched.
But there was some shaky parts on Kuhns’ outing. The sophomore struggled with his command, walking three batters and hitting three others. Despite that, Kuhns mostly stayed out of trouble because he spaced out the free passes and gave up just one hit.
The lone hit, a Luke Matthews single to left field, scored Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe in the fourth inning. Besides the fourth inning, Kent State didn’t put multiple runners on base in the same inning and only put a runner in-scoring position twice.
While it was not Kuhns’ most aesthetically pleasing, he was still effective in his second start of the season.
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Tennessee Blows Its First Save Opportunity Of The Season
The Vols led by one entering the ninth inning thanks in large part due to a Jay Abernathy two-run homer in the sixth inning. Tennessee gave Bo Rhudy the ball for its first save opportunity of the season. Things immediately went haywire with Rhudy hitting Luke Matthews on the first pitch he threw.
Rhudy struck out the next batter for out number one but things quickly went sideways from there. Max Humphrey reached on a bunt single and Rhudy hit Grady Mee to load the bases with one out. It was the sixth batter Tennessee hit in the game, tying the previous program high.
Sawyer Soliaria then tied the game with a RBI single to left field. That ended Rhudy’s night as he exited with the game tied.
Local Kids Play Hero
Submarine pitcher Brady Frederick relieved Rhudy in a major jam and came through in a big way. The Knoxville native did exactly what Josh Elander put him in to do— induce ground balls. Brody Williams grounded into a 5-2 fielder’s choice before Ripken Reese grounded out to third to end the top half of the ninth.
Tennessee went to its bench in the bottom of the ninth inning with Tyler Myatt pinch hitting for Ariel Antigua to lead off the inning. The Tazewell native hammered a 1-1 pitch 434 feet over the batter’s eye for a walk-off home run.
With the Vols staring down the barrel of their first loss of the season, former Bearden High School and Claiborne High School standouts came through.
Up Next
Tennessee baseball resumes its three-game series against Kent State on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Lindsey Nelson Stadium is at 4 p.m. ET.
