Tennessee baseball outlasted Oklahoma to earn a 9-7 shootout victory in Thursday night’s series opener in Oklahoma City. There were multiple lead changes and runs scored in eight of nine innings.
Here’s how Tennessee got it done for its 14th SEC win of the season.
Tegan Kuhns Did Not Have His Best Stuff
Six days after striking out 15 batters while allowing just five baserunners, Tegan Kuhns did not have his best stuff against Oklahoma. That was evident immediately when Oklahoma’s first three batters reached base including a leadoff home run from Jason Walk.
The Sooners scored two runs in the first inning as they took an early three-run lead. Oklahoma just consistently put pressure on Tennessee’s ace. Kuhns threw 108 pitches in five innings with Oklahoma scoring against him in four of those five innings and putting at least two runners on base in every inning.
Kuhns allowed five runs, four earned runs, in his final start of the regular season. The only unearned run came on a Kuhns’ throwing error on a pickoff attempt. The Sooners totaled 12 hits and twice reached base on balls against Kuhns in his five innings pitched.
But while Kuhns was not overly effective, he still got through five innings and never let things completely blow up on him. He exited the game with Tennessee leading and earned his fifth win of the season.
Tennessee Punched Back In The Third Inning
Oklahoma starting pitcher Cameron Johnson did not look all that sharp in the first two innings as he walked three batters but kept the Vols off the scoreboard. Then in the third inning, Tennessee scored four runs to take its first lead of the night.
Johnson walked two more batters but Tennessee did the bulk of its damage with four hits and two extra-base hits. Blake Grimmer and Reese Chapman drove runs home with doubles, Blaine Brown drove home a run with a single and Manny Marin drove home a run with a sac fly.
All nine Vols came to the plate in the third inning as Tennessee punched back after a slow start.
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Tennessee Took Control With Two Home Runs
The Chickasaw Brockton Ballpark is a pitcher friendly park, but Tennessee took the lead in the middle of the game thanks to a pair of no doubt homers.
In the fifth inning, Reese Chapman worked a one-out walk and Levi Clark promptly drove him home with a no-doubt, 405-foot homer to left field. That first long ball gave the Vols a one-run lead that they didn’t relinquish the remainder of the game.
It was a similar sequence an inning later when Blake Grimmer worked a one-out walk and then Henry Ford mashed his 17th home run of the season 415 feet to left field to give Tennessee some breathing room.
Bo Rhudy Shut The Door
Oklahoma pulled within one run when Kyle Branch took Cam Appenzeller deep to left field for a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Appenzeller retired the next two batters he faced before Josh Elander turned to Bo Rhudy to try and get a four-out save.
Things did not begin smoothly for Rhudy. He walked the first batter he faced on a 3-2 pitch clock violation before getting out of the eighth inning with a strikeout.
Tennessee’s offense gave Rhudy one insurance run in the top half of the ninth inning but were unable to break the game open.
But Rhudy limited drama in the bottom of the ninth. He allowed a two-out double but struck out two batters to secure the win.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee and Oklahoma resume their three-game series on Friday night in Oklahoma City. First pitch is at 7:30 p.m. ET with the SEC Network+ broadcasting the game.
