By Anna Reiffer
The Vols squeezed a game between storms, but the sun only shone on them as they shut out the West Georgia Wolves 13-0 in seven innings.
Runs rained from the bats in the run-rule victory, while the Vols’ pitching staff effectively silenced the Wolves, limiting them to four hits on the night.
The Vols are now on a three-game win streak after taking the last two of the series against Alabama in a doubleheader on April 24.
“All the little things outside of talent or competing between the lines can change as the weather turns,” head coach Josh Elander said. “Our guys have done a good job of handling that.”
Explosive offense sets tone
The Vols tallied five home runs through the seven innings, with four of them coming in the first two innings.
Reese Chapman started the trend with two outs in the bottom of the first, hitting a 408-foot home run to right that scored Grindlinger and Grimmer.
In the next at-bat, Levi Clark matched Chapman’s energy with a swing of his own, launching a missile of a 424-foot home run to the porches to lift the Vols to a 4-0 lead.
“I think we’ve just been having fun playing baseball,” Chapman said. “It’s been awesome to see everyone’s work paying off.”
The dominant hitting continued in the fourth, when Nate Eisfelder hit a pinch-hit home run, much to the joy of the crowd at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
“You gotta be ready coming off the bench,” Eisfelder said. “I was glad I was able to do that.”
Eisfelder’s swing brought the Vols into run-rule territory three innings ahead of schedule, leaving room for even more damage to the Wolves.
A pair of sacrifice hits and a wild pitch gave the Vols three more runs by the end of the sixth, stunning the Wolves’ pitching staff.
Bullpen silences the Wolves
What started with Cam Appenzeller on the mound ended with Jax Bishop – with seven others in between.
Elander and the Vols utilized a total of nine pitchers across the seven-inning night, but frequent changes didn’t disrupt their rhythm.
The barrage of pitchers dealt nine strikeouts and yielded four combined hits to the Wolves to claim the shutout victory.
No pitcher had more than 1.1 innings on the mound or threw more than 20 pitches. However, Elander described it as less about the moment itself and more about the opportunities for his pitching staff.
“We want to get our guys out there and let them compete,” Elander said. “Up and down tonight, they did a great job.”
Simplification is key to success
Prior to the series sweep against Mississippi State, the Vols were in a rut, dropping series against Georgia, Vanderbilt and LSU.
Since then, however, the team has connected, and the common consensus about their recent success is that they’ve been simplifying their approach.
“I always tell myself at the plate that the pitcher’s gonna throw me a cookie,” Chapman said. “That’s how I simplify up there.”
Looking ahead to this weekend against Kentucky in Lexington, Elander stressed the importance of looking at the big picture.
“The SEC punches back and forth at all times,” Elander said. “We’re making sure we’re taking care of 90 feet and attacking the strike zone, and then we’ll roll from there.”
The Vols’ first game of the series is slated for Friday, May 1, with first pitch at 6:30 p.m.
It will stream on SEC Network+.