Tennessee baseball did not make it easy.

The Vols did not plate their first run until the seventh inning, and then blew a win in the ninth, but still pulled out a 4-2 win over USC Upstate. It was due in part to Blake Grimmer’s no-doubt, walk-off blast in the bottom of the ninth inning to vault Tennessee to the win column for the 18th time this season.

Tennessee’s (18-7, 3-3 SEC) first extra-base hit of the game came on the final at-bat.

Pitching was the strong suit after a lackluster start from Taylor Tracey. Tennessee’s bullpen combined for eight innings of shutout baseball until Bo Rhudy allowed two doubles in the ninth inning that scored the tying run. Brady Frederick steadied the waters as the first guy out and tossed a strong 2.1 innings with one hit and one walk allowed, striking out four Spartans (12-13, 3-3 Big South).

Tracey chased out in 1st inning

Blaine Brown was Tennessee’s midweek starter until he threw 10 straight balls in the first inning against ETSU, ending his line before an out was recorded. Taylor Tracey became the Vols’ go-to midweek guy after that — and his Tuesday outing mirrored struggles.

Tracey failed to make it out of the first inning against USC Upstate. He concluded with two outs recorded across five batters faced. Tracey walked three and allowed a run to cross the plate on a fielder’s choice.

He tossed 30 pitches and landed just 14 in the strike zone. The count was 1-0 at the plate with runners on the corners and a one-run deficit when Tennessee went to the bullpen for Frederick.

Struggling bats linger in middle of game

The bats failed to make contact against USC Upstate across the middle stages of the game on Tuesday.

A Manny Marin leadoff single in the fourth inning was the last time Tennessee reached base until the seventh inning when Trent Grindlinger drew a four-pitch walk with one out. The Spartans retired nine batters in a row until that point.

The Vols finished the evening with seven hits. They were 7-for-33 total, and 4-for-13 with runners on. They stranded seven runners on base.

Six of Tennessee’s seven hits were singles, and Grimmer’s blast was the only extra-base hit of the day. Stone Lawless’ third-inning single was the closest the Vols came to one inside the park, as he reached second base safely on a throwing error.

Tennessee was hitting .278 on the season entering the game against the Spartans.

Seventh-inning stretch awakens

Tennessee was dead in the water until luck prevailed.

Grindlinger’s one-out walk was followed by Levi Clark uniquely reaching base. The sophomore first baseman grounded the ball to the left side of the infield, putting pinch runner Jay Abernathy in a run-down. After a few tosses back and forth, the Spartans lost the ball out of the glove and both runners were safe.

Tyler Myatt added a pinch-hit single to load the bases with two outs for Brown. The transfer outfielder then delivered, smoking a two-RBI single through the right side to put Tennessee ahead.

Rhudy blows win opportunity

Three outs were needed to steal a win from the jaws of defeat. Rhudy couldn’t deliver.

The Kennesaw State transfer allowed two ninth-inning doubles, the second of which by Trye Bentley allowed the tying run to scratch the plate. After tossing two balls to the Clayton Campidilli, Tennessee went to Brayden Krenzel out of the bullpen with a runner still aboard third base. Krenzel walked Campidilli, then earned a popout and strikeout to take the game to the bottom of the ninth.

Tennessee heads to West End for a three-game set with Vanderbilt on Friday, March 27.