Tennessee baseball got back in the win column Tuesday night, knocking off Bellarmine 8-3 in a midweek bout at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols offense started slow before coming alive in the seventh inning and all but securing the bounce back victory.
Here’s how Tennessee got the job done.
A Strong Day For A Collection Of Tennessee Pitchers
As the final score indicates, it was a good day for Tennessee’s pitching staff. In typical midweek fashion, a bounty of Vol pitchers saw action.
Blaine Brown was the opener and Cameron Appenzeller followed him just like they did last Tuesday against UNC Asheville. Brown retired the side despite a pair of runners reaching base with two outs. Appenzeller pitched just one inning and retired three-straight batters after offering a leadoff walk.
Left-handed freshman Taylor Tracey got two innings of action and ran with his opportunity, sitting down all six batters he faced. Right-handed pitcher Nic Abraham was also effective in two innings of action. Three Knights reached base against Abraham but none reach scoring position thanks to a pickoff.
Sawyer Deering had a strong seventh inning but allowed a pair of baserunners to reach to open the eighth. Left-handed pitcher Mark Hindy relieved him and retired the next three batters to preserve the shutout. Chandler Day pitched the ninth inning and blew the shutout, allowing three runs on four hits.
More refreshing was Tennessee’s pitching staff walking just four Knight batters. A step in the right direction after a wild weekend.
Tennessee’s Offense Does Starts Slow
It was a rough weekend for Tennessee’s offense against Kent State. They didn’t come out the gates on fire to answer. The Vols totaled just five hits and seven total baserunners through the games first six innings. The Vols scored just one run over that stretch and was unable to create any separation on the scoreboard
After hitting four-for-42 (.095) with runners on base and three-for-22 (.136) with runners in-scoring position over the weekend, Tennessee again started slow with runners on base. Through those first six innings, the Vols were just one-for-nine with runners on base.
Jay Abernathy had another solid day at the plate from the jump, hitting three-for-four with three stolen bases. Levi Clark had a double and another walk in the game’s first six innings. But otherwise, Tennessee’s offense struggled to get anything going for most the game.
More From RTI: Where Tennessee Baseball Lands In Rankings Following Series Loss Against Kent State
Tennessee’s Offense Provides Run Support In The Seventh Inning
Usual starters Chris Newstrom and Manny Marin were not in Tennessee’s starting lineup against Bellarmine. But Josh Elander went to both sophomores off the bench, replacing Finley Bates and Ariel Antigua in the middle infield after their first two at-bats.
They were both defensive subs but came up to the plate for the first time in the seventh inning. Newstrom worked a lead off walk and then Marin gave Tennessee some breathing room with a 365 foot home run to left field.
Tennessee’s offense kept the pressure on with some help from poor Bellarmine defense. Abernathy reached on a bunt single and a fielding error allowed Henry Ford to reach. Both advanced 90 feet on a stolen base before Abernathy scored on a fielding error by third baseman Luke Scales while Ford scored on a wild pitch.
Blaine Brown truly put the game away later in the inning, ending a zero-for-14 stretch with a three-run homer to right field to extend the lead to 8-0.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee basketball heads to Arlington this weekend for three games in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. The Vols will face No. 1 UCLA, Virginia Tech and Arizona State in the three games. First pitch for the UCLA game on Friday is at 4 p.m. ET.
