By Lily Helton
Something miraculous happened during the last game of the Ole Miss series two days ago. The Tennessee Volunteers started racking up runs.
Not just any runs: big-time homeruns. Bat to ball. Then, something even more miraculous happened. The Volunteers did it again. They put bat to ball and had the runs to prove it.
In the 14-4 run-rule victory against in-state foe Lipscomb, the explosive offense was key. Something clicked for Tennessee this weekend, and it parlayed into 10 deep balls over the past two games.
Blaine Brown, Manny Martin, Stone Lawless, and Trent Grindlinger all stacked home runs on the day. Tennessee also finished with 13 RBIs, the most exciting being a ball smacked to the wall down the right field baseline by Garrett Wright late in the sixth inning.
“Some guys just have a lot more confidence,” said Lawless.
Tennessee also improved in seeing the field and mixing up ball placement. Several singles and doubles were found against baselines or split between center and left field. They made the Bisons work for it defensively, and it worked out in the Vols’ favor.
Bullpen Action
It wasn’t just the hitting that was electric for Tennessee today, though. Across five pitchers, a only one walk was allowed. The bullpen’s strike percentage was 66.7%, and only three hits were allowed past the third inning. The standout of the night, Brayden Krenzel, struck out two of the 4 four batters he faced.
“His stuff is as good as anybody in the league,” said Tennessee Head Coach Elander.
In The Field
The Volunteers played a well-rounded game tonight, and fielding was a part of that. The effort was there defensively. The team took home a double play, and caught 13 ground balls and 21 fly balls. Levi Clark made a diving catch for an out at first, and Wright had a spin around play on second base. Brown caught a couple of huge balls in center field, and Henry Ford was always there to make the catch at third.
“When we get ground balls and pop-ups, they need to be outs. Period,” said Elander.
Up Next: Tonight was good for the Volunteers, no question. But the next series is a hard-hitting SEC matchup against No. 13 Alabama. The first game is Thursday, and first pitch is set for 7:00 P.M ET.
“We need to protect our home turf,” said Elander.