#19 Vols Rack Up Season-High 17 Hits, Five Homers to Cruise Past Tennessee Tech

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 19 Tennessee got back in the win column with a 20-2 rout of Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. 

Left fielder and newly appointed leadoff man Garrett Wright opened the scoring account for the Big Orange right away as he launched a solo homer into the first row of the porches to give UT an early 1-0 lead. 

After back-to-back walks to Blaine Brown and Henry Ford, Blake Grimmer singled to left field to load the bases for the Vols. Resse Chapman opened the floodgates with a towering grand slam over the right field wall, giving UT a five-run lead before a single out was recorded. 

Tennessee batted around in the top of the first thanks to five hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch. The big inning was capped off with a bases-clearing double by Ford, making the score 9-0 after the dust settled. 

Shortstop Manny Marin tacked onto the Volunteer lead in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer into the porches, extending the lead to 11. After a double in the first inning, the long ball marked Marin’s sixth consecutive plate appearance with a hit dating back to last Wednesday’s midweek win over Oakland.  

The Golden Eagles stopped the Vols’ run and got on the board in the top of the third with a solo home run by designated hitter Cade Fuller. 

Stone Lawless and Chapman added to Tennessee’s lead with a pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the third as the offense continued to roll. 

After back-to-back doubles from pinch-hitter Ariel Antigua and Jay Abernathy plated a run, Ford sent a 108-mph laser into the second deck of the porches to make the score 16-1 after just four innings. 

UT once again loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, and freshman Nate Eisfelder recorded his first collegiate hit and home run with a grand slam into the porches, giving the Vols an even 20 runs on the night. 

TTU pushed a run across in the seventh on an RBI single to left by shortstop Owen Lee, but that would be all for the Golden Eagles as freshmen pitchers Will Haas and Jax Bishop combined to retire the side in the seventh inning to help the Vols cap off the run-rule victory. 

Freshman lefty Taylor Tracey earned his second start of the year and put together another impressive outing, striking out six batters over three innings. Freshman reliever Ethan Baiotto earned his first collegiate win with a solid appearance out of the bullpen, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings. 

The Vols finished with season highs in hits (17), runs (20) and home runs (five), while recording their first two grand slams of the year, marking their first game with multiple grand slams since hitting three against Radford on March 4 of last year. Chapman and Ford both finished an RBI short of career highs, driving in five runs apiece while combining for six hits and four runs scored.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will head to Athens this weekend to open SEC play against the eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. 

Friday and Sunday’s games will be streamed on SEC Network+ while Saturday’s contest will be televised on the SEC Network.