Tennessee baseball silenced any cry from the Wolves.
After finding offensive success in a doubleheader win over Alabama, the Vols’ bats stayed hot to pummel West Georgia, 13-0. Tennessee posted 14 hits from 12 different bats on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
A total of 24 players appeared in the run-rule win for Tennessee (30-15), who capped a nine-game homestand with a 6-3 record and wins in five of the last six. Blaine Brown’s sixth-inning single was the final leg to getting all nine of the Vols’ starters a hit.
West Georgia (11-34) failed to bring a competitive game to the ballpark, allowing a four-run first inning that snowballed to a 9-0 lead through two. It allowed the Vols to cruise to the finish line from there.
Appenzeller’s 1st career start
Head coach Josh Elander opted to get his trustworthy freshman back in a flow. Appenzeller made his first-career start against West Georgia, needing a reset after back-to-back outings that were less than desirable.
Appenzeller dealt one inning, striking out a pair and earning a groundout. West Georgia mounted a two-out single, but the freshman struck the next batter out on four pitches to work around it.
He was replaced by Ethan Baiotto to start the second inning.
Ten of Appenzeller’s 16 earned runs this season have come in the last two appearances. The freshman hit a wall in SEC play, and Elander had two goals by tossing him in a midweek. He wanted to give Appenzeller one more chance to pitch before facing a conference opponent again while allowing him to go through the starter routine.
Home run party
Tennessee’s bats stayed hot from the weekend and made midweek pitching look the way it should. The Vols blasted five home runs, guided by back-to-back blasts in the first inning.
Reese Chapman opened the scoring with a two-out, three-run bomb that left no doubt off the bat. On the next pitch that left Evimael Quiles’ hand, Levi Clark sent it 424 feet to the porches. After an inning, the Vols led 4-0.
West Georgia went to the bullpen for the second inning, but that didn’t stop Manny Marin. The sophomore provided the next run, mashing another doubtless blast to left field, pushing Tennessee’s lead to five in the second inning.
Henry Ford added another in the inning, watching his 388-foot blast land beyond the wall in left-center. That called for another arm change in the midst of the second inning for the Wolves.
After a one-inning hiatus, Nate Eisfelder mashed the first ball of the fourth inning to left, putting Tennessee’s lead at double-digits.
Tennessee has only had two games this season with five or more home runs before Tuesday.
Plethora of plate appearances
Nine runs in the first two innings provide enough cushion to experiment with bats at the plate. Tennessee did just that, pulling six guys off the bench to make appearances.
Ariel Antigua, Nate Eisfelder, Chris Newstrom, Tyler Myatt, Hunter High and Stone Lawless each appeared in a game they did not start. They combined to go 4-for-9 with three RBIs. Eisfelder’s fourth-inning blast was the most notable.
Newstrom’s appearance marked the at-bat he has received since March 31 against Austin Peay. He went 0-for-2 with an RBI groundout and a flyout.
Tennessee hits the road for Kentucky Proud Park for a three-game set with Kentucky on May 1.
