KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/1 Tennessee fell in an in-state midweek battle against ETSU on Tuesday evening, dropping a back-and-forth extra-inning thriller, 7-6, in front of a record-breaking regular-season crowd of 6,331 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
After a hard-fought battle featuring five lead changes and four ties, the Bucs delivered the final blow with a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning from Grant Gallagher. His clutch swing not only secured the lead but also tied him for the national lead in home runs with 12.
Prior to Gallagher’s long ball, ETSU was down to its final two outs in the top of the ninth when Jamie Palmese came through with a game-tying two-run homer to force extra innings.
UT got clutch hits from Hunter Ensley on two key occasions. In the seventh inning, the veteran outfielder delivered an RBI double to tie the game at four. He followed that up in the eighth with a two-out, two-RBI double to put the Vols in front for the first time since the second inning. Ensley finished the night with an impressive 4-for-6 performance, tallying two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored.
Gavin Kilen launched an opposite-field solo home run to pull UT within a run in the fifth inning. The homer marked his 10th of the season, propelling him back into the nation’s top 10. Notably, this total surpasses his previous single-season high of nine, set at Louisville last year, despite playing less than half as many games thus far.
Krenzel Impresses in Career-Long Outing
Freshman Brayden Krenzel held ETSU’s offense at bay with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, his longest career outing, allowing only two hits while striking out two. The Ohio native was in line for his first-career win before the Bucs tied the game in the ninth inning.
Despite allowing the game-winning home run in the 10th and taking the loss, junior righthander Tanner Franklin delivered a strong performance on the mound. Over 1.2 innings, he allowed just one hit while striking out three.
Thacker Makes Collegiate Debut, Behnke Returns
Redshirt freshman Bryson Thacker made his collegiate debut on Tuesday night, coming on in relief in the sixth inning, tossing two strikeouts and walking one against a tough middle of the order for ETSU.
Junior lefty Andrew Behnke also returned to the mound on Tuesday after missing the last four weeks with an injury and tossed two scoreless frames, allowing just one hit.
Up Next
It will be a quick turnaround for the Big Orange as they hit the road for a Thursday-Saturday series at No. 10/12 Alabama. Thursday’s series opener is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET first pitch and will be televised on ESPNU.
