#17 Vols Drop Series Finale vs. Wright State

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite holding Wright State to just five hits, No. 17/19 Tennessee dropped the series finale to the Raiders, 6-0, on Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

After two quiet innings from both sides to start the game, the Vols threatened in the bottom of the third. Levi Clark reached base on an error before Manny Marin snuck a line drive past the first baseman to put runners on first and second with one out with Henry Ford coming to the plate.

The junior third baseman singled through the left side, looking to bring in the game’s first run, but Clark was tagged out on a bang-bang play at the plate after a great throw from left fielder JP Peltier, keeping the score knotted up at zero. 

Starting pitcher Evan Blanco took a no-hitter into the sixth, but WSU tallied its first hit of the game on a single to right field to lead off the inning, which was then followed by a walk to give the Raiders runners on first and second with no outs. Peltier followed by lining a bases-clearing double down the left-field line to give his team a 2-0 lead. 

Center fielder Cy Turner came up later in the inning and sent a double off the wall in left field to score Peltier from second, capping a three-run sixth for Wright State. 

Peltier continued his big day with a solo homer to add to the lead in the eighth. WSU added two more insurance runs in the ninth after catcher Zac Butler launched a two-run homer into the porches to make it 6-0. 

The Big Orange threatened in the bottom of the eighth after Marin laced a double into the left-field corner to lead off the inning, but then went down in order as they flew out three straight times to end the inning. 

The Vols were unable to mount any type of comeback in the ninth, and were shut out for the first time in their 2026 campaign.

Marin was a bright spot on an otherwise gloomy day for the Tennessee lineup, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate on Sunday to cap a solid weekend after lifting the Vols to a win on Friday night with his walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning. 

UP NEXT: The Vols cap their six-game homestand on Tuesday evening when they host Tennessee Tech at 6 p.m. before heading to Athens to open SEC play at Georgia next Friday night.