HOOVER, Ala. — Arkansas jumped out to a four-run lead in the first inning and Tennessee never recovered as its run at the SEC Tournament ended with an 8-4 loss against the Razorbacks on Wednesday night.
Here’s how it happened.
Arkansas Tagged Evan Blanco In The First Inning
Texas and Oklahoma both tagged Evan Blanco for three runs in the first inning the last two weeks. Blanco’s struggles continued in the first inning against Arkansas with the Razorbacks tagging him for four runs.
Camden Kozeal hit a solo homer to open the scoring before Zack Stewart pummeled a two-run homer off the video board in right field. A TJ Pompey single followed by a Nolan Souza double plated the fourth run of the inning.
Even the outs were little cause for optimism. Henry Ford made a nice diving stop on a sharp ground ball down the third base line and Nate Eisfelder made a leaping catch at the wall in right field.
Unlike the last two weeks, Blanco never really settled into the game. Josh Elander pulled him after three innings and 57 pitches as Arkansas scored five runs and tagged him with lots of hard contact.
Tennessee’s Offense Showed Mid Inning Fight
The Vols offense was largely lifeless in the first three inning, totaling just two baserunners via a Blake Grimmer walk and Garrett Wright single. With Arkansas leading 5-0, it looked like Tennessee might go away quietly.
However, Tennessee’s offense showed some life in the middle innings. The Vols put two runners in-scoring position in the fourth inning after Trent Grindlinger reached on a fielding error and Levi Clark singled. Blaine Brown couldn’t have placed his high pop up to right-center field any better as it dropped between three Razorbacks for a two-RBI double.
In the fourth inning, Garrett Wright singled to give Tennessee a one-out baserunner before Henry Ford worked an eight-pitch at-bat and roped a RBI double down the left field line.
The three runs in the two innings pulled Tennessee within two runs as they unsuccessfully attempted to keep up with the Razorbacks.
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Tennessee’s Bullpen Was A Mixed Bag
Tennessee was in an early hole after Evan Blanco’s outing. The results were more mixed from the bullpen. Left-handed pitcher Chandler Day was the first Vol out of the bullpen and retired the side in the fourth inning.
But Day walked the first two batters he faced in the fifth inning. Ethan Baiotto entered after Day recorded the first out of the inning and promptly allowed a no-doubt three-run homer to left field that extended Arkansas’ lead back to five runs.
While the Day and Baiotto outings did not go well, three Tennessee relievers performed well afterwards. Nic Abraham tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, stranding a runner on third base in the sixth inning. It was Abraham’s first real SEC chance over the last few weeks and it went well.
Mark Hindy faced just one batter but struck him out. Bo Rhudy was Tennessee’s best reliever of the day, retiring all five batters he faced while striking out three.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee baseball’s run in the SEC Tournament ends after two games. The Vols now return to Knoxville where they await their draw for the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is on Monday, May 25.
