By Stephen Mason
Whatever was working well for the Volunteers in games two and three against Alabama was lost somewhere along I-75 between Knoxville and Lexington.
No. 24 Tennessee (30-16, 10-12 SEC) stumbled into Kentucky Proud Park on Friday night and was dominated 9-2 by the Kentucky Wildcats (28-15, 10-12 SEC) in the opening game of what will be a crucial series for both teams. Everywhere the Vols found success against the Crimson Tide, they took a step backward in the Bluegrass State.
Taking the mound for Tennessee on Friday was Tegan Kuhns after head coach Josh Elander made adjustments to his weekend pitching rotation. However, the Pennsylvania native who carried his team to a doubleheader sweep the week prior could not find his rhythm against the Wildcats.
In the six innings he pitched, Kuhns struck out seven batters but gave up six runs and 10 hits. These runs proved lethal for the Vols’ chances on a night when they could not get much offense going.
Freshman Taylor Tracey came in to relieve in the seventh inning, but he did not fare much better. The Wildcats plated three more runs under his watch, leading to a very short outing for Tracey. Nic Abraham and Mark Hindy also saw action in the last two innings, and while they were able to shut out the Kentucky batters, it was too little, too late.
The Vols also struggled in other areas of defense. In the first inning, Blaine Brown failed to track down what looked to be a routine fly ball to left field. While that play did not lead to any runs, it was an omen for what was to come. The usually stout infield made two errors in the game, and Kentucky baserunners were able to capitalize on numerous wild pitches by the Tennessee staff.
Despite the pitching woes, the more surprising result of the series opener was the lack of offense. After plating 29 runs in the series against Alabama, the bats were ice-cold for the Vols on a chilly evening in Lexington.
“Too many poolside groundballs, popups, and first-pitch outs. That’s not a good strategy against anyone you face. … You have to make that adjustment quickly,” Elander said.
Levi Clark and Henry Ford were the only sparks in a flat showing. Clark went 2-for-3 in the game, and Ford went 2-for-4, including a two-run shot in the eighth that scored the only runs for Tennessee. Besides those two, Tennessee went into the Kentucky night quietly.
As a result, Tennessee is down 0-1 in the series and will need to take the next two games. Winning on Saturday and Sunday would put the Vols at .500 in SEC play and give them a better chance at a first-round bye in the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
“I told the guys, we’ve continued to choose to do it the hard way, so we need to find a way to bounce back tomorrow,” Elander said. “We just need a better effort all the way around in every capacity because we did not play well tonight.”
Up Next: Game 2 of the series will be played Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Evan Blanco will start on the mound for Tennessee in a game that is desperately needed.