Tennessee's Winning Streak Snapped in Smokies Stadium as Tennessee Tech Bests No. 1 Vols
KODAK, Tenn.– The No. 1 Tennessee BaseVols had their 23-game winning streak snapped in Smokies Stadium on Tuesday night at the hands of in-state rival Tennessee Tech.
With the loss, the Vols' record drops to 31-2, and their hopes of tying Texas A&M's 2015 24-game SEC record winning streak are over. The loss marks the first for UT since March 4 against Texas, which was also played in a non-collegiate stadium.
In a game in which both teams used wooden bats, UT struggled mightily at the plate, connecting on only four hits throughout the game with none occurring after the fourth inning.
Below are storylines from the Vols' upset loss on Tuesday night.
Vols Strike First
Both of the Vols' runs came in the third inning, where Drew Gilbert hit an RBI single to score Jorel Ortega, and Gilbert later scored himself on an error from the Golden Eagles' infield.
Tennessee Tech answered in the fifth, tacking on a run with a two-out RBI single on Mark McLaughlin's first at bat. When McLaughlin took the mound, freshman reliever Wyatt Evans had let a pair of Golden Eagles on base.
Golden Eagles Catch One Off Joyce
The next inning, Ben Joyce took the mound for the Vols and gave up his first earned run of the season, as Tech's sophomore right fielder Eric Newsom clobbered a two run shot over the right field wall of Smokies Stadium to give his team a 3-2 lead.
Vols Struggle at the Plate
Aside from the Vols' two-run third inning, Tennessee did not score a run, and the Vols did not record a hit after the fourth inning. Tennessee's struggles were due in large part to Tennessee Tech relief pitcher Carter Gannaway's dishing 5.2 solid innings, retiring 17 of 19 batters faced.
While Gannaway delivered nicely for the Golden Eagles on the bump, Tony Vitello noted the Vols weren't doing themselves any favors with their swings at the dish.
"I can't speak for them. From my point of view, it was pretty evident it was a bunch of spin, and our guys kept chasing," Vols head coach Tony Vitello said. "He landed enough for strikes, too, but a ton of them were not in the zone and our guys were just in a hurry. Cannot speak for them, but it certainly was a repetitive mistake of guys getting in a rush and reaching for the dirt."
No Vol connected for a hit against Gannaway, and Drew Gilbert and Luc Lipcius were the only players to draw a walk.
Up Next
The Vols will look to rebound and get back in the win column on Friday in the series opener against No. 24 Alabama in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
If Tennessee is able to win all three games against the Tide and secure the series sweep, the Vols will break a program record for number of series sweeps in a season with eight.
Additional Notes:
-Vols ace Blade Tidwell started his second game of the season (second consecutive midweek) and pitched one inning, striking out the side to retire the Golden Eagles in order.
-Camden Sewell did a nice job for Tennessee keeping TTU at three runs in the 8th and 9th innings, forcing two Golden Eagles to ground into double plays and allowing only one hit.
-Blake Burke returned to the Vols starting lineup for the first time since April 2 and recorded one of Tennessee's four hits. Lawson, Gilbert and Ortega were the others.
-In the eighth and ninth innings, when Tennessee was in do-or-die situations, Tony Vitello chose to have Jared Dickey and Kyle Booker pinch hit.
--Dickey pinch hit for a struggling Charlie Taylor in the eighth inning with a one-out, two-on situation, but the freshman struck out.
--Kyle Booker pinch hit for Jorel Ortega in the ninth inning when Tennessee was down to their final out, but Booker grounded out.
Photo Credit: Jake Nichols
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