Landon Mack struggled and Tennessee could not capitalize on enough scoring opportunities as they dropped its series opener against Ole Miss 7-4 on Friday night.
The result ended a five-game Tennessee winning streak. Here’s how it happened.
It Was Not A Strong Night For Landon Mack
Even when Landon Mack retired the side around a one-out walk in the first inning, it never was easy for him against Ole Miss. Mack threw 23 pitches in that first inning and he just never got into much of a rhythm.
The Rebels erased Tennessee’s early 1-0 lead when Hayden Federico led off the second inning with a solo homer. Mack retired the first two batters in the third inning before Ole Miss hit back-to-back solo shots to take the lead including a mammoth 414 foot homer from Tristan Bissetta.
Ole Miss added a run in the fourth inning thanks to two hits and a walk. The fifth was especially dicey for Mack as the Rebels added two runs thanks to a hit batter, a double and a single.
Mack’s day ended after recording the first out in the sixth inning. He allowed six runs on seven hits while walking two batters and hitting two more. Mack gave up hard contact and also struggled with his command. It was a bad combination.
Tennessee Missed Early Scoring Chances
After being fantastic on capitalizing on base runners last weekend against Ole Miss, Tennessee struggled against the Rebels.
They had a chance to follow up Reese Chapman’s solo homer with more damage but Blaine Brown struck out looking to strand a pair of runners on base. Then in the third inning, Tennessee put runners on second and third with two outs before Trent Grindlinger struck out on a check swing.
Tennessee had more opportunities later in the game but the inability to add early and keep up with Ole Miss proved costly.
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Tennessee Did Not Use Its Top Bullpen Arms
The Vols have not lost many SEC games in commanding fashion this season. The positive for Tennessee on Friday night is that they did not burn either of its top two bullpen arms — Cam Appenzeller and Brandon Arvidson — in the loss.
Ole Miss led 6-2 by the time Tennessee went to its bullpen. That made it an easy decision to not use either lefties at that moment.
Nic Abraham relieved Mack and threw well, allowing one unearned run in 1.2 inning pitched. He allowed just one hit the error and passed ball that proceeded it led to a run. Freshman lefty Chandler Day looked great, striking out the side in the eighth inning and then Will Haas retired the side in order in the ninth inning.
Having both Appenzeller and Arvidson fresh for the rest of the weekend makes Tennessee’s chance of coming back to win the series much better.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee baseball resumes its weekend series against Ole Miss on Saturday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET and the SEC Network+ is streaming the game.
