With a 4-2 lead and the bases loaded with two out in the bottom of the seventh, Matt Waldren came on to pinch hit for Leno Ramirez. Waldren was looking for a pitch to hit and got it as he lined a bases clearing a three-run triple down the first base line.
Those three runs proved to be important as Appalachian State rallied with three runs of their own in the ninth. Ultimately Tennessee held on to win 7-5 Tuesday night at Lindsey-Nelson Stadium. With the win Tennessee improves to 19-14 on the year.
Head coach Dave Serrano said after the game that Waldren is one of the more popular players on the team and is a fun guy to be around.
“You pull for those guys,” Serrano said.
Appalachian State made a pitching change and brought in lefty Travis Holden. The pitching change made Serrano go with Waldren off the bench.
“That was a big hit,” Serrano said. “I didn’t know that at the time, I knew that at the time, but I didn’t know it was going to be as big as it ended up being. Those three RBI were huge.”
Mountaineer ninth: With two outs and the bases loaded, Tanner Mann-Fix stepped to the plate and drove a double to left center off closer Jon Lipinski. The double also drove home three runs to bring Appalachian State within two runs of the Vols.
Serrano said even with the three runs given up he thought Lipinski pitched well Tuesday night.
“He threw some ground balls that found some seams,” Serrano said. “He threw strikes, I thought he was under control and he made them do something to score some runs. In the end he got it closed out.”
Volunteers’ Bullpen: Over the last couple of games Serrano has been looking for answers to Tennessee’s bullpen problems. Some of those answers have been limiting guys and getting them out before the game gets away. Tuesday night the bullpen wasn’t the problem.
“I was happy with the way our bullpen performed,” Serrano said. “I thought (Steven) Kane threw the ball very well. Hunter Martin threw well. With what some of those guys have been through anything, any kind of confidence they can gain will help us as we head down the stretch.”
The bullpen only allowed four runs off six hits against Appalachian State. Each of the four relief pitchers earned a strike out and did not allow any walks.
It seems getting guys out of the game before it gets away from them is working and is helping to build up the bullpen’s confidence.
“I’m starting to see a little steady progress from certain guys and we’re gonna need that,” Serrano said.
Runners In Scoring Position: Tennessee put up seven runs but it had the potential for more. The Vols went 3-for-15 with RISP Tuesday night. It was a problem that plagued the Vols in the three games they lost at South Carolina and the trend continued against Appalachian State.
“It’s been kind of the Achilles heel, it was our Achilles heel this weekend,” Serrano said. “This coaching staff is still trying to find the answers to that.”
Serrano sees the team putting pressure on themselves and isn’t sure why the Vols are doing that. They hit when nobody is on base but when runners are on they take a different approach. For Tennessee to be as successful as it wants to be, the hitters need to keep the same approach every time they hit.
Up Next: Tennessee travels to Auburn, Alabama for a three game set April 14, 15, and 16. Tennessee is 3-9 in the SEC this season while Auburn is also 3-9. The series is important for both teams as they will try to get back on track in conference.
