By Ashley Stadnicki
A night after surviving chaos, Tennessee didn’t leave anything up to chance.
The Volunteers jumped out early, answered every No. 9 Mississippi State push, and stayed in control the entire way to take Game 2 of the series in Starkville 6-2.
Tennessee wasted no time setting the tone. Reese Chapman got things started with a home run in the first, and the Vols followed it up with a three-run second inning fueled by a mix of small ball and timely hitting. An RBI double from Levi Clark, a run from Jay Abernathy, and a sac fly from Wright.
Just like that, it was 4-0, and Tennessee was in command.
Mississippi State finally broke through in the fifth with an RBI double to make it 4-1, but unlike earlier in the season, and even moments from Game 1, Tennessee didn’t let anything build.
They answered immediately.
Wright came through again in the sixth with an RBI double down the line to stretch the lead back to four and shut down any momentum the Bulldogs were trying to create.
Mississippi State added a solo home run in the seventh to make it 5-2, but that was as close as they would get.
There were no late collapses and no chaos. Just a steady performance from Tennessee on both sides of the ball. Every time Mississippi State chipped away, the Vols had an answer ready.
And that’s what made this one different.
“Our lineup is stacked,” said sophomore pitcher Tegan Kuhns.
After grinding out a back-and-forth win the night before, Tennessee showed a completely different side in Game 2. One that controlled the game early and never let it slip.
“Coming in here, it’s not easy at all to get one win, let alone two,” said sophomore Jay Abernathy when asked about what this series does to the Vols’ confidence in SEC play.
Two games, two wins, and two very different ways to get there.
A massive series win for the Volunteers in one of the most hostile road environments in the SEC. Tennessee goes for the sweep on Sunday at 2:00 PM ET on SECN+.