Tennessee baseball suffered its first regular-season series loss to a nonconference opponent since 2020, falling 9-5 to Kent State in Game 3 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The 15th-ranked Vols (5-2) won 4-3 in Game 1 and lost 2-1 in Game 2. But they dropped the decisive third game of the series against Kent State (5-2) on Feb. 22 with a sloppy performance.
UT pitchers walked seven batters, hit four batters and tossed a costly wild pitch. Kent State scored four of its runs with two outs, and the Vols committed two errors.
It was a disappointing series finale for coach Josh Elander early in his debut season as head coach. Elander, an assistant since 2018, was promoted to head coach to replace Tony Vitello, who became the San Francisco Giants manager.
Tennessee had won 15 straight regular-season nonconference weekend series since losing to Wright State in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
This was Kent State’s first series win over an SEC team since 2007.
Tennessee won Game 1 on walk-off homer
The Vols won Game 1 on Feb. 20 by a score of 4-3 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on pinch-hitter Tyler Myatt’s walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Myatt was a star player at Claiborne High School and spent two years at Walters State Community College in Morristown. It was his second home run of the season.
Tennessee lost Game 2 amid offensive woes
Tennessee lost Game 2 by a score of 2-1 in front of a record crowd of 7,001. The Vols were 0-for-15 with runners on base and 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Henry Ford hit a home run in the first inning, but the Vols didn’t score again.
Tennessee baseball vs Kent State score
Kent State had two singles in the eighth inning, but the real damage was done via Tennessee pitching gaffes. During a three-batter sequence, UT pitches hit two batters, walked a third batter and tossed a wild pitch. All that happened with two outs, yielding three runs and a 9-5 cushion for Kent State.
Tennessee scored three runs in the fifth inning to cut Kent State’s lead to 6-5.
Finley Bates, Jay Abernathy and Henry Ford hit three straight singles to load the bases with one out. Then Blaine Brown’s sacrifice fly, which initialy scored one run, turned into a wild play that scored two additional runs.
Kent State shortstop Luke Matthew cut off the throw from the outfield and made an errant throw to second base, hoping to beat the runner for an out. Instead, the ball sailed wide and into shallow right field. Abernathy and Ford both scored on the error.
Top fifth inning: Kent State 6, Tennessee 2
Kent State scored three runs in the fifth to extend its lead. UT reliever Ethan Baiotto loaded the bases by walking two batters and hitting another. He was replaced by Nic Abraham, who hit the first batter he faced to score a run. A fielder’s choice and an error on UT catcher Stone Lawless scored two more runs.
Starting pitcher Evan Blanco pulled after four innings
Left-hander Evan Blanco, a Virginia transfer, had a shaky second start. He walked the leadoff hitter on four straight balls, which ultimately yielded a run. And Blanco never gained complete control.
Blanco walked four batters and gave up three hits. He allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out eight in four innings. He tossed 79 pitches and left with UT trailing 3-2.
Fourth inning: Kent State 3, Tennessee 2
A walk and a pair of doubles put Kent State ahead 3-2. Max Humphrey hit a two-run double to the gap in right-center with two outs.
Third inning: Tennessee 2, Kent State 1
Tennessee briefly led 2-1 after Jay Abernathy and Henry Ford hit back-to-back singles to score one run.
Second inning: Tennessee 1, Kent State 1
Tennessee benefitted from a sloppy pitching inning by Kent State. Levi Clark was hit by a pitch. The next two batters walked. And then Clark scored on a double-play to tie it 1-1.
First inning: Kent State 1, Tennessee 0
Kent State leadoff hitter Grady Mee walked on four pitches, stole second and reached third on a passed ball. Mee then scored on a fielding error on UT shortstop Manny Marin to put Kent State ahead 1-0.
What channel is Tennessee baseball vs Kent State on today?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Live stream: ESPN app/ESPN+
Tennessee baseball vs Kent State time today
- 1 p.m. ET at Lindsey Nelson Stadium
Tennessee baseball vs Kent State probable pitchers
- Tennessee: LHP Evan Blanco (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
- Kent State: RHP Ben Rabatin (0-0, 4.91 ERA)
Tennessee baseball vs Kent State series schedule
- Game 1: Friday, Feb. 20, 4:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network+)
- Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 21, 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network+)
- Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network+)
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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