Tennessee entered its final weekday game of the season against Belmont, eyeing to finish the season undefeated in midweek matchups.
The Vols defeated Belmont 11-1 in a run-rule game behind five home runs from the lineup and an impressive day on the mound for the Vols’ arms.
Nic Abraham posted five innings and made it two outs into the sixth before being relieved, allowing just one run. Levi Clark added two runs for the Vols (35-18, 13-14 SEC). He went 2-for-4 with a home run against Belmont (19-33, 9-12 MVC)
Abraham delivers a strong performance
It was quite an ideal start for midweek starter Abraham, who made his third start of the season on Tuesday evening against Belmont.
The first time through the order for Abraham, the righty sat down all nine hitters their first time up to bat, striking out three in the process, with two coming in the third inning.
The main traffic for Abraham came in the top of the fourth inning, where Charlie Davis led the inning off with a single. With runners on the corners and one out, Cavan McMean hit a ball deep enough to allow the runner from third to score.
Despite the run allowed, Abraham locked back in for the fifth inning, sitting down all three batters in the frame. He was able to work two more outs at the top of the sixth before a double ended his start.
His final line was 5.2 innings, he allowed four hits, one earned run, four strikeouts, and no walks.
Vols offense uses six home runs in win against Belmont
Home runs were in no shortage against Belmont on Tuesday evening. The Vols’ bats clubbed six home runs, with three of them coming in one inning.
Clark got things started in the bottom of the second, smashing a two-run home run, a ball that traveled 412 feet. It was Clark’s 11th home run of the season, which gave the Vols an early 2-0 lead.
Jay Abernathy broke the silence after a few innings of no noise from the Vols’ bats, and one swing was all it took. A solo-shot from Abernathy, his third of the season, gave the Vols a 3-1 lead.
The very next pitch, Garrett Wright joined the party with his eighth home run of the year to give the Vols a three-run lead.
Yet the fireworks weren’t over yet, Henry Ford hit the longest home run of the day, sending it 420 feet into the left-field bleachers. Ford’s 16th home run of the season also went down as his 50th RBI.
Trent Grindlinger kept the marathon alive in the bottom of the eighth with another solo shot, it was his eighth of the season, and it put the Vols up five. Hunter High finished the job with a two-run blast that ended the game in a run-rule. It was High’s first home run of the season.
Trent Grindlinger continues big season
A freshman out of Huntington Beach, California, Grindlinger has made the most out of all of his appearances since becoming a more consistent starter.
March 29, in the final game against Vanderbilt on the weekend, Grindlinger entered the game in place of an injured Stone Lawless, and since then, he has not looked back, becoming a consistent starter and spending most of his time as the team’s designated hitter.
After his solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, Grindlinger’s stats on the season move to eight home runs, a .384 batting average and 25 RBIs over 112 at-bats on the season.
Still a freshman, Grindlinger has cemented his name as one of the top components of the Vols team this season, as well as next. He is draft-eligible after the 2027 season and is sure to have his name in first-round conversations.
