A four-run first inning was all Arkansas needed to best Tennessee on Wednesday night.
The Vols fell 8-4 to the Razorbacks in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Hoover Met Stadium and will await their fate for the NCAA Tournament. The No. 7-seeded Razorbacks (37-19, 17-13 SEC) extend their win streak over the No. 10-seeded Vols (38-19, 15-15) to five after a sweep in the 2025 Fayetteville Super Regional.
With the loss, Tennessee will return home to await its fate. The selection show will take place Monday, May 25, at 12 p.m. ET.
Tennessee’s pitching issues were relevant all night, beginning in the first inning.
Evan Blanco struggled early, allowing four runs before recording a third out. He gave up a home run to right field to his second batter, walked the next without throwing a strike and allowed a home run on the next pitch.
The senior recorded the last two outs on a flyout and a strikeout, but not before giving up a single and a double to score a fourth run in the bottom of the first.
After a quiet second inning by both teams, the Razorbacks extended their lead in the third.
Blanco’s first pitch of the frame went over Arkansas’ bullpen for Zack Stewart’s second home run of the outing, making it a 5-0 game. The Virginia transfer gave up a single, but a double play helped Tennessee escape the inning.
“The breaking stuff was not as sharp as usual tonight,” coach Josh Elander said of Blanco. “Credit to Arkansas — they had a good approach, they were sitting on pitches and they landed on them, and some of those were hit a long way.”
After falling behind by five through three innings, the Vols’ bats came to life.
Trent Grindlinger reached on an error, and Levi Clark advanced him with a single. The duo reached scoring position after the hit as the left fielder dropped the ball on the throw. Blaine Brown drove both in with a double to right field, cutting Arkansas’ lead to three.
Chandler Day came to relieve Blanco in the fourth, ending his rough night. The left-hander surrendered seven hits in three innings, giving up three home runs and five earned runs.
Day and the Vols’ defense easily downed the Razorbacks’ lineup in the fourth, giving Tennessee another chance to cut into the lead.
Garrett Wright strung together a strong at-bat, hitting a single on a full count in the fifth. Henry Ford doubled down the left field line, and the junior showcased his speed by turning third base and reaching home safely.
Despite Tennessee’s attempts to even the score, the Razorbacks quickly put an end to that.
Day walked his first two batters, leading to being pulled. Ethan Baiotto threw one pitch in relief, and that was all Arkansas needed to extend the lead. A three-run shot to left field made it an 8-3 game, giving the Razorbacks a five-run lead again.
“We just gotta know that there’s a lot of ball game left,” Blake Grimmer said. “We know what our hitters are able to do when we’re up to the plate. Just trusting our guys, knowing that we can score as much as we can.”
Neither team could muster much offense in the final four innings.
Abraham, Mark Hindy and Bo Rhudy closed the game out well for the Vols, giving up just one hit through the final 3.2 innings. In the batter’s box, Tennessee managed just three more hits. Grimmer sent Jay Abernathy home on a double for the game’s last score in the seventh inning, making it an 8-4 game.
With one last chance in the ninth, the Vols couldn’t rise to the occasion. All three batters grounded out, ending Tennessee’s run in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
“I thought there was a little bit of a lull in the middle of the game today,” Elander said. “It can swing back and forth both ways, but you gotta stay in it, and I think we can do a little bit better job of that going into next week.”
Despite the loss, the Vols will likely remain a No. 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks will advance to the third round of the SEC Tournament, taking on No. 2 Texas on Friday, May 22.
“Going through the challenges and having some scars and having some successes gives them perspective going into the postseason,” Elander said. “And I think offensively, the guys have really been swinging well.”
