Josh Elander emerged from the Tennessee baseball dugout with two outs in the seventh inning and the tying run at the plate. Tegan Kuhns would not let his skipper take him out of the game.
And it paid off, as Kuhns fanned his 15th batter of the night en route to the Vols’ 5-1 series-opening win over Texas.
Tegan Kuhns became just the second pitcher in the conference to post 15 or more strikeouts in a game this season, joining LSU’s Casan Evans. Tennessee’s (33-17, 12-13 SEC) three-run spurt in the early innings was enough to get by, but the Vols finished with eight hits and five runs to be safe.
Dylan Volantis gave Texas 5.0 strong innings after a rocky start. Volantis — who has struck out the third-most batters in the conference in SEC play — only punched out two, but cut out his work with eight groundouts and four flyouts. He allowed six hits, just one after the second inning, while giving up three earned runs. Tennessee handed Volantis his first loss as a starter for the No. 4 Longhorns (36-11, 15-9).
Kuhns twirls career-best night
It appeared Tennessee’s once-ace-now-ace-again just needed a week to get reacclimated to the Friday night role. After allowing six earned runs and 10 hits in his start at Kentucky, Kuhns twirled 7.0 innings of shutout baseball, striking out 15 Longhorns. Kuhns allowed four hits, two of which came in his final inning of work.
After allowing back-to-back two-out singles in the seventh inning, it appeared that Kuhns’ night would be over. Josh Elander emerged for a mound visit, and Kuhns turned him away, wanting to finish what he started. Pitch No. 113 blew by Casey Borba, stranding a pair of baserunners as an amped-up Kuhns exited the mound with his 15th strikeout of the night.
Kuhns came out of the gate with a seven-pitch walk, then dialed in. He retired the next eight batters before Texas recorded a two-out double in the third inning. Kuhns erased the threat with a swinging strikeout, fanning the side around the base knock.
The strongest inning from the right-handed sophomore came in the fifth inning when he struck out the side in order, doing so on 12 pitches. He did it against Texas’ seven, eight and nine-hole hitters, who combined for seven strikeouts in eight at-bats.
Vols tag Volantis early
Texas’ ace is among the best in the conference this season, and Tennessee made him look like a middle-of-the-pack starter in the early goings. The Vols tagged Volantis for three runs in the first two innings of the game, posting five hits.
Oklahoma is the only other team this season to score more than two runs in a start of Volantis’, and Tennessee did so before recording the fifth out at the plate.
Trent Grindlinger opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning, while Manny Marin added a double in the second that scored Levi Clark. Marin later scored on a wild pitch.
Volantis settled in once the third came around, retiring the side around a one-out single from Reese Chapman. He retired seven of the next eight batters he faced, surrendering a walk before being pulled to start the sixth inning.
Seventh-inning insurance
Kuhns’ electric exit after striking out Borba to end the top half of the inning energized Tennessee’s bats.
The Vols hadn’t recorded a hit since the third inning, and failed to plate a run since the second. That changed when Tennessee rattled off a Blaine Brown single and a Stone Lawless fielder’s choice that didn’t record an out, putting two on base.
Blake Grimmer singled through the right side, plating both runners aboard — putting Tennessee ahead 5-0.
Tennessee clung to its lead, and a gem start from Kuhns to take game one. The second game of the series is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.
