Tennessee Baseball
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
Tennessee threw its best two arms at LSU on Saturday.
Tegan Kuhns and Cam Appenzeller held LSU to a single run, and Tennessee evened the series with a 4-1 win at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
As SEC losses go, that’s one I can live with. Both Kuhns and Appenzeller with be top 50 picks when their time comes. LSU put some really good swings on Kuhns but never solved Appenzeller. William Schmidt did a pretty good job in his starting role, and Cooper Williams held the rope. The offense just never broke through.
The play of the game was in the first.
Schmidt issued a leadoff walk, and Blaine Brown chopped a roller through the right side to put runners at first and third with no one out. After Schimdt fanned Henry Ford, Tennessee’s best hitter, on three pitches, he induced a Blake Grimmer ground ball to first. Zach Yorke had it go between the wickets to allow two runs to score.
I’m not sure LSU turns a 3-6-3 double play in that spot, but an out should have been recorded at the very least.
LSU minimized in the second when Derek Curiel and John Pearson both singled to open the frame. Seth Dardar struck out, but Chris Stanfield lined a pitch off Kuhns and into center to plate a run. Yorke popped up in a big spot, and Milam flew to right with the bases loaded. That turned out to be LSU’s last true threat.
Pearson lifted a fly ball to the wall with a man on in the third which would have given LSU the lead if it had carried five more feet.
Schmidt hung an off-speed pitch that Grimmer hammered over the right field wall. Nine hole hitter Jay Abernathy, who has had a miserable offensive season, lined an RBI hit to right in the fourth. That was aided by a passed ball on Arrambide which put the runner at second. The runner may have scored from first with two outs, but it was an easy trot in from second.
I thought LSU’s swings off Kuhns were good. Schmidt and Williams were good. Appenzeller was the difference. LSU reached once against him in the final five innings. That was the first hitter he faced. He retired 15 straight to end the game.
The teams will play the rubber match without him tomorrow.
THE SCORECARD
Tennessee got three hits.
Cam Appenzeller: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 68 pitches, 46 strikes
LSU was 5-for-32 (.156); Tennessee was 3-for-29 (.103)
LSU was 1-for-7 with RISP; Tennessee was 1-for-10 (.100)
LSU did not have an extra base hit.
WHAT’S NEXT
LSU and Tennessee will play on Easter Sunday for a big series win. First pitch is set for noon central.
The Vols will go with lefty Evan Blanco who was Virginia’s Friday starter last year. Vanderbilt lit him up last week. LSU is handing the ball to Gavin Guidry who did not fare well against Kentucky last week.
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