While one Tennessee baseball pitcher got back in his groove, another failure by the bullpen nearly cost the game.

Landon Mack threw six innings of one-run baseball, but Cam Appenzeller and Bo Rhudy struggled in relief as the Vols escaped Kentucky Proud Park with a 10-9 win in the series finale. Though Kentucky won the series with dominant wins in the first two games, Tennessee (31-17, 11-13 SEC) did just enough to prevent a sweep with 13 hits to back up a strong starter performance.

Mack gave all he could in a 102-pitch outing, returning to early-season form. Appenzeller emerged from the bullpen in the seventh and got shelled for four runs on 18 pitches. Kentucky (29-16, 11-13) cut the deficit to two runs as Appenzeller managed just two outs in his first outing of the weekend.

Rhudy entered and struggled similarly. He allowed four runs in relief, including two ninth-inning home runs. It was up to Brandon Arvidson to record the final two outs, and he did so with a strikeout and flyout to strand the tying run at first base.

Tone-setting second inning

Tennessee fell behind in the first inning, but it didn’t dwell.

The Vols answered the deficit with back-to-back home runs in the top of the second inning off the bats of Reese Chapman and Levi Clark. Both hitters got ahead in their counts and took Kentucky starter Connor Mattison 352 feet and 392 feet, respectively, to opposing sides of the field.

Mack utilized the newfound lead to deal in the bottom of the inning. He retired the side in order on just 11 pitches, with a lineout and two strikeouts. Mack got Caeden Cloud to strike out swinging on three pitches.

Sharp Mack

A shakeup in pitching days appeared to be all that was needed for Tennessee’s former Friday night guy. Mack bounced back from back-to-back poor starts with 6.0 innings of one-run baseball. The sophomore righty allowed six hits and walked two, striking out seven across 102 pitches.

Mack’s first inning showed the woeful nature of his previous two starts, but the damage was limited to a lone RBI single — Kentucky’s only run off Mack. He allowed a walk and a bunt single before Braxton Van Cleave drove in the run on an infield single.

He retired the next five batters, three via strikeout, as Kentucky threatened again with a pair of hits in the third inning. Mack got cleanup Ethan Hindle swinging on a payoff pitch to end the threat.

In Mack’s final inning of work, Kentucky gave a last-ditch effort to strike on the starter. The Wildcats mounted a two-out walk and a single, but pitch No. 102 was popped out to center field, stranding a pair of runners on base.

Filtering through arms

After Tennessee’s bats failed to present a challenge to Jaxon Jelkin the day prior, watching him shove an eight-inning complete game, the Vols forced the Wildcats into the bullpen seven times in the series finale.

Six arms recorded three outs or fewer, suggesting Nick Mingione had situational matchups for his unused arms. Still, Tennessee boded well in those situations.

Starter Mattison lasted just 3.1 innings, as the Vols tacked five hits and five earned runs off the righty. A Clark double and a Manny Marin hit-by-pitch ended Mattison’s line at 49 pitches.

Mingione then tried to get creative with the arms that followed. Ryan Mullan entered for a one-out at-bat against Jay Abernathy. On the fourth pitch of the sequence, Mullan plucked Abernathy. He followed by getting ahead 0-2 to Blaine Brown, who then punched an RBI single to left field. That ended Mullan’s day with six pitches on his sheet.

Ira Austin IV entered with the top of the order at the plate, and got ahead 0-2 before a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Garrett Wright occurred. Leighton Harris took over after three pitches, then tossed two of his own to retire Blake Grimmer on a deep flyout.

Kentucky tossed four arms on the mound in the fourth inning before Nile Adcock took over in the fifth and went 3.0 innings. Mingoine still managed to toss three more arms on the mound afterward. The Vols managed eight hits and five runs off the relief conglomerate.

Clark creates separation

Tennessee’s lead all but diminished with an unreliable bullpen. After the Wildcats cut the deficit to one run, the bats heated right back up to pull away.

Clark walloped the first pitch he saw with two runners aboard and one out on the board, carrying the ball to left-center. He put the Vols ahead by four runs in the ninth inning, which proved to be needed when Kentucky blasted two home runs and plated three in the bottom of the ninth.

It was Clark’s second blast, part of a 3-for-3 day with five RBIs. The sophomore first baseman has hit five of his nine total home runs since April 19.