Tennessee baseball was tied with Radford through five innings on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Then the Vols scored 10 straight runs to run-rule the Highlanders 22-9 in seven innings.
Here’s how Tennessee got it done with power hitting against Highlanders on Tuesday.
A Sloppy Top Of The First For Tennessee
Tennessee baseball came out sloppy in the top of the first inning against Radford following its best weekend of the season to date. Nic Abraham was the Vols’ opener and things started poorly for him as he allowed two straight singles and then a walk to load the bases.
In the last batter he faced, Abraham got James Ward to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. A run scored but it was a big moment for Abraham to get two outs and to limit the baserunners.
Michael Sharam relieved Abraham and did his job, getting a ground ball to first base that should have ended the inning. But Levi Clark mishandled it allowing the run on third to score and the inning continued. More costly defense followed.
Tyler Kehoe stole second to give Radford a runner in-scoring position and he scored when Dean Curley’s errant throw got past Clark at first base. The end result was three runs on two hits, two errors and a walk as Radford took an early lead. It set the stage for a more competitive than normal midweek bout.
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Dylan Loy Solidifies A Rough Night For Tennessee’s Pitching
The two midweek games for Tennessee this week lended itself to the Vols stretching out some pitchers and giving them longer opportunities.
Left-handed pitcher Michael Sharman was the first example of that. His defense let him down in the first inning when he came in to relieve Abraham and was alright after that. Sharman allowed an unearned run (another Curley error) in the second inning and then struck out the side in the third inning.
Things went awry for Sharman in the fourth inning when he allowed back-to-back singles, and a double steal, to open the inning before Tony Vitello went to Austin Hunley in the middle of an at-bat.
Hunley has been great getting out of jams this season and did get a double play for the first two outs of the fourth inning but then allowed a RBI double. Things went worse for Hunley in the fifth inning when he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk before exiting with two outs in the inning.
The game was tied when Dylan Loy relieved Hunley. Radford almost took the lead right away but Hunter Ensley bested his mortal enemy, center field walls, again to preserve the tie.
Hunter Ensley. Unafraid.pic.twitter.com/EclrH9jLYe
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) March 5, 2025
Ensley helped Loy get the first out but Loy needed little help after that. The sophomore retired all seven batters he faced while combining to strike out four of the six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh inning. Loy’s strong pitching made it certain that Radford wouldn’t be able to keep up in the shootout.
Power Hitting Picks Up Tennessee’s Offense
While Tennessee’s pitching struggled against the Highlanders, the Vols’ offense did what was needed to win the midweek bout. As has been the case this season, Tennessee did it with power.
The Vols scored 14 runs on home runs, one on a triple and two more on doubles. They added three more runs on walks and one run on a single.
Dean Curley responded to his poor defensive first inning with a home run to center field to lead off the bottom of the first. Andrew Fischer got hit his third home run of the season three at-bats later as Tennessee cut its early deficit to one run.
Right fielder Reese Chapman had one of the game’s biggest swings in the third inning when he hit a 357 foot grand slam to right field. It looked like Tennessee would cruise from there before Radford scored five straight runs to tie the game.
The true separator came in the eighth inning when Fischer mashed a 427 foot grand slam to right field, giving Tennessee a 16-9 lead. It was Fischer’s third home run in the last two games and Tennessee’s sixth grand slam in just 12 games this season. The big swing put Radford away.
Blake Grimmer officially ended the game in the seventh inning with Tennessee’s third grand slam of the game and seventh of the season.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee baseball is back at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Wednesday evening when they’ll face Xavier in a midweek bout. First pitch is at 6 p.m. ET and the SEC Network+ is streaming the game.
