By Sawyer Hunley
Tennessee baseball walked into uncharted territory this past weekend when it lost a series to a non-conference opponent for the first time since 2020.
Now the question was, can Tennessee bounce back?
The Vols answered that with a resounding yes on Tuesday night with their 8-3 win over Bellarmine.
It was not a beautiful game by any means for the Big Orange. In fact, for six innings, it was rather ugly.
Through six innings, Tennessee had only scored one run off a sac-fly from junior Hunter High.
But in the seventh inning, the offensive downpour was on.
Tennessee plated seven runs in the seventh inning, which included two home runs. One from sophomore Manny Marin, who had just been inserted as a pinch hitter, and another from sophomore Blaine Brown.
For Marin, it has been a bit of a difficult start to the season, which led him not to start against Bellarmine, but that made this home run feel extra special, and Marin acknowledged that.
“Definitely felt good, had to stay warm for sure,” said Marin
Blaine Brown had also been struggling as of late, as he was 0-10 over the weekend against Kent State, so that home run had to be a relief for Brown as well.
Another Vol who has had a slow start to the season and got back on pace on Tuesday was Jay Abernathy.
Abernathy got moved into the leadoff position this past Sunday in the series finale against Kent State, and he began to look a little more comfortable.
That carried over to Tuesday as Abernathy had three hits in four at-bats on the day as he also scored a run.
“He’s got a little mojo going right now, it’s pretty cool,” said head coach Josh Elander.
The Vols will need Abernathy to continue his mojo, as he is super dangerous on the base paths when he is able to reach.
Along with his three hits on Tuesday, Abernathy also stole three bags which is huge for this Vols offense that has been struggling as of late.
UP NEXT: The Vols set their sights on Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, to play in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series.
The Vols will face a step up in competition in Texas, taking on No. 1 UCLA, undefeated Arizona State, and a one-loss Virginia Tech over the course of the weekend.
Great coverage of game!