KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The runs came early and often for No. 24 Tennessee is Tuesday’s 13-0 run-rule drubbing of West Georgia at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Big Orange bats came out swinging with four runs in the bottom of the first after back-to-back round trippers from Reese Chapman and Levi Clark.
The Vols (30-15) keep their foot on the gas in the second, plating five more runs to take a commanding 9-0 lead. UT blasted two more homers in the inning, as Manny Marin hit his eighth of the season to lead off the frame before Henry Ford added to his team-leading home run total with a three-run shot a few batters later. Chapman capped off the scoring in the inning with a run-scoring single to give him four RBIs for the night.
Nate Eisfelder joined in on the home run party with his second four-bagger of the year, dispatching the first pitch he saw into the porches to lead off the fourth and put the Vols ahead 10-0.
All nine players in UT’s starting lineup recorded at least one hit while Chris Newstrom and Ariel Antigua also had RBIs off the bench in the win.
Nine pitchers combined for Tennessee’s third shutout of the year and their second in the last three games after blanking No. 13 Alabama, 10-0, in eight innings last Friday.
Freshman left-hander Cam Appenzeller made his first-career start and pitched a scoreless first inning with a pair of strikeouts before handing the ball off to the bullpen.
Sophomore righty Brayden Krenzel was credited with his second victory of the season after tossing 1.1 shutout innings with one punchout. Ethan Baiotto, Sawyer Deering, Will Haas, Chandler Day, Brady Frederick, Taylor Tracey and Jax Bishop were the other seven pitchers to take the mound in the win.
With Tuesday’s victory, the Volunteers reached the 30-win mark for the seventh straight completed season (excluding 2020 COVID year) and improved to 12-0 in midweek contests this year. The 30 wins for head coach Josh Elander are also the most by any skipper in their first season in program history, surpassing Tony Vitello’s 29 wins in 2018 and John Whited’s 29 triumphs in 1982.
UP NEXT: Tennessee heads north to Lexington for a longstanding rivalry series against Kentucky that begins on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. ET. All three games of the series will be streamed digitally on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
