HOOVER, Ala. – No. 20/23 Tennessee fell to No. 10/12 Arkansas by a score of 8-4 on Wednesday evening in the second round of the SEC Tournament, ending its run in Hoover.
After falling behind early, the Volunteers battled back to pull within two runs in the fifth inning but struggled to keep the Razorbacks in the yard, giving up four home runs on the day, including two in a four-run first inning for the Hogs.
Garrett Wright and Levi Clark both had multi-hit games and scored runs for the Big Orange while Blake Grimmer also reached base twice with an RBI double and a walk. Wright finished the tournament with six hits, three runs and three RBIs over the Vols’ two games.
UT (38-20) was able to take advantage of a few Arkansas defensive miscues to get on the four in the top of the fourth. After two errors from the Razorbacks, Blaine Brown doubled to shallow right-center field to plate a pair of runs with two outs.
After a clean inning from freshman lefty Chandler Day to end the fourth, the Vols continued their positive momentum with another run in the fifth to cut their deficit to two runs. Wright continued his impressive week with a single to left and raced around to score from first two batters later on a double down the left-field line by Henry Ford to make it 5-3.
Arkansas (37-19) was able to halt that momentum in the bottom of the inning, however, striking for three more runs to extend its lead back to five. Back-to-back walks to lead off the frame proved costly as TJ Pompey made Tennessee pay with a three-run homer to left center a couple of batters later.
The Vols scored their fourth run of the game in the top of the seventh on Grimmer’s aforementioned RBI double, but that would prove to be the final run of the game.
Senior left-hander Evan Blanco fell to 7-4 on the year with the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk in just three innings of work.
Right-handed relievers Nic Abraham and Bo Rhudy impressed out of the bullpen, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings apiece while allowing just one hit and combining to strike out five batters.
Zack Stewart and Pompey led Arkansas with five combined hits, including three home runs, and six RBIs while Camden Kozeal also went deep for the Hogs.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will now await its draw for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Friday, May 29 at 16 campus regional host sites around the country.
