Tennessee drops first nonconference series since 2020, losing 2 of 3 to Kent State
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Tennessee baseball started the Josh Elander era with a 5-0 mark, sweeping Nicholls and defeating UNC Asheville before a 4-3 series-opening win against Kent State.
But the Volunteers weren’t able to take the next two in the series. They lost a sloppy 2-1 affair on Saturday before falling 9-5 on Sunday afternoon, marking the first time the Vols have dropped a non-conference series since Wright State took two out of three from them in 2020.
Saturday’s game saw Henry Ford hit a leadoff homer to give Tennessee a 1-0 lead. But Kent State scored twice in the fifth on a pair of errors to go ahead 2-1. The Vols certainly didn’t help their own cause, committing three errors and going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
On Sunday, the Vols again took an early lead, going up 2-1 heading into the fourth inning. But Max Humphrey’s two-run double put Kent State up 3-2.
The Golden Flashes then pushed across three more in the fifth. Nic Abraham hit Micah Rienst with a pitch with the bases loaded and no one out to up the lead to 4-2. After Luke Matthew came home on a fielder’s choice, Stone Lawless’s errant throw to second on a Brody Williams steal attempt scored Ripken Reese to make it 6-2.
Tennessee, though, pulled to within 6-5 in the fifth after a sacrifice fly and an error by Kent State shortstop Luke Matthews saw three runs score. But the Golden Flashes tacked on three more in the eighth with two outs to put the game out of reach.
Tennessee returns to the diamond as it hosts Bellarmine on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. ET first pitch.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
