KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee bounced back to even its series against LSU with a 4-1 victory on Saturday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium thanks to another stellar pitching performance and timely hitting in key spots.
Southpaw Cam Appenzeller was dominant once again in five shutout innings of relief. The freshman gave up a single to the very first batter he faced, before retiring 15 batters in a row to finish the game. Appenzeller struck out six and did not issue a walk en route to earning his fourth win of the year.
The Volunteers (20-11, 4-7 SEC) got the scoring started right away in the bottom of the first after a leadoff walk from Garrett Wright and a single from Blaine Brown put runners on first and third with one out.
A Blake Grimmer ground ball then got past Tigers first baseman Zach Yorke, allowing both runners to come around and score on the error, giving UT an early 2-0 lead after the opening frame.
LSU (21-11, 5-6 SEC) got a run back in the top of the third after a line-drive single from left fielder Chris Stanfield struck Tennessee starter Tegan Kuhns in the back of the head, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Kuhns was shaken up on the play but remained in the game and put forth what head coach Josh Elander described as a gritty performance that put the Vols in a position to win.
In the bottom of the third inning, Grimmer collected his second RBI of the night with a no-doubt bomb into the parking lot beyond the right field wall, pushing the Volunteers’ lead back to two.
The UT offense would add one more in the next inning as well, after Trent Grindlinger advanced to second on a passed ball, center fielder Jay Abernathy roped an RBI double down the right field line to extend the lead to three.
Kuhns exited the game after walking the first batter of the fifth inning. The sophomore right-hander struck out only one batter, but was very efficient, needing only 69 pitches to get through four innings while allowing just one run before handing the ball off to Appenzeller.
The Chatham, Illinois, native has been dominant in SEC play this season, posting a 2-0 record in four appearances while tossing 18.1 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts and just one walk. Appenzeller has also allowed just nine hits in that span and is holding opposing hitters to a .150 batting average.
UP NEXT: The Vols and Tigers will conclude their series on Easter Sunday at 1 p.m. for the rubber match of this three-game set. Tennessee will be aiming to win its second SEC series of the season.
