ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Tennessee baseball picked up a narrow 3-1 win over Virginia Tech Sunday to conclude its three-game stretch in Arlington.
An above-average Evan Blanco start and strong bullpen pitching led the way for Tennessee in the low-scoring affair, while the offense tallied two sixth-inning runs that proved to be the difference.
Tennessee’s pitching staff allowed just three hits on the day while striking out 11. Virginia Tech’s lone run came via a fourth-inning solo homer.
Here’s how it happened as Tennessee won its second consecutive game to finish the weekend 2-1 at Globe Life Field.
Evan Blanco Cruises, Mark Hindy Does His Job
Sunday saw a pitcher’s duel between Tennessee’s Evan Blanco and Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grim.
Blanco cruised through his 5.1-inning outing, allowing one run on two hits. Aside from two-hole hitter Nick Locurto’s solo homer to lead off the fourth, the Hokies tallied just one hit against the Virginia transfer.
However, Blanco allowed four free passes, hitting three batters and walking one. Command was an issue for the senior last week against Kent State, when he walked four batters.
Still, Blanco did not allow more than one baserunner at a time until he exited the game in the sixth after a one-out single and hit-by-pitch.
Lefty Mark Hindy relieved Blanco and retired the only two batters he faced. Hindy is a situational arm for the Vols this year, similar to Kirby Connell and Dylan Loy of years past.
The Duke transfer effectively did his job serving as the bridge from Blanco to Brayden Krenzel.
Vols Offense Struggles Against VT Starter
Tennessee’s offense struggled mightily against Virginia Tech’s starter Ethan Grim. Outside of a two-out rally in the third inning, Tennessee was lifeless at the plate. Grim sat the Vols down in order in four of the first five innings.
Ariel Antigua jumpstarted a two-out rally in the third with an infield single. After Jay Abernathy walked, Henry Ford scored Antigua with an RBI single up the middle.
An Abernathy leadoff walk in the sixth spelled the end of Grim’s outing, as the Hokies turned to left-hander Chase Swift to face Ford.
Grim gave up one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five in a season-long – and career-long – outing.
Pair of Sixth-Inning Runs Prove to Be the Difference
Swift induced a groundout against Ford but then ran into some bad luck.
A hard-hit ground ball from Blaine Brown hit the second-base bag and ricocheted into the outfield, allowing Abernathy to score.
Levi Clark brought Brown home by smoking a double down the left-field line. Despite finishing the weekend with two hits, Clark made a lot of great contact at the plate, and Sunday’s double was one of the bigger hits for UT in Arlington.
Tennessee’s two sixth-inning runs proved to be the difference in the low-scoring contest. The Vols’ offense had a baserunner in the seventh and eighth innings but never pushed another across.
Bullpen Excels Again
Tennessee’s bullpen was shaky in two of three games against Kent State last weekend and against UCLA Friday.
Brady Frederick and Cam Appenzeller combined to provide a pair of strong, needed relief outings in a 5-3 win over Arizona State Saturday.
Against Virginia Tech, Tennessee’s bullpen rose to the occasion once again.
Krenzel ran into trouble in the seventh allowing a pair of one-out baserunners but got a 4-6-3 double play to thwart the threat.
The Dublin, Ohio, native bounced back with a dominant eighth inning, sitting the top of the Hokies’ lineup down in order with two strikeouts and a flyout.
The sophomore closed things out with a 1-2-3 in the ninth to earn the save, the first of his career.
With Tennessee’s offense lacking the firepower that past teams have had, the bullpen must be a strength. It was the last two days and carried Tennessee to a pair of much-needed victories.
Up Next
Tennessee is back in action Tuesday against in-state foe ETSU in Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is at 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
