The Vols entered with all of the momentum.
Tennessee baseball sustained none of it in a 9-2 loss to Kentucky in the first game of a weekend set in Lexington. The Vols (30-16, 10-12 SEC) generated little at the plate all evening, while the Wildcats (28-15, 10-12) jumped all over Tennessee pitching to cruise to a dominant victory at Kentucky Proud Park.
Tennessee starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns allowed six runs and 10 hits over six innings. He struck out seven, yielding a pair of homers while tossing 103 pitches. Henry Ford registered his team’s only RBIs of the night with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
Kentucky hurler Ben Cleaver turned in seven shutout innings, giving up only four hits. All but two members of the Wildcats’ starting lineup posted at least one hit.
Kuhns rustled in return to top role
Kuhns earned his way back into Tennessee’s Friday night slot after a masterful outing a week ago against Alabama.
In his first series-opening start since March 27 against Vanderbilt, things didn’t begin as smoothly as they did when Crimson Tide hitters stood in the batter’s box. Kuhns fought through some first-inning adversity after allowing back-to-back hits to the first two Wildcats of the game. A bad read from left fielder Blaine Brown on the second knock allowed both men to reach scoring position. Kuhns worked out of the jam, punching out the next two hitters before inducing a groundout to post a big zero.
The right-hander needed to strand a runner in scoring position in his second inning, too. Even after he got two quick outs, Kuhns allowed Caeden Cloud’s single to blossom into a free trip to third base after a wild pitch and a balk.
Goose eggs weren’t coming as easily as they did last time out.
Kentucky didn’t waste its opportunity in the third. Kuhns notched the first two outs on just two pitches, but a two-strike hit set up Ethan Hindle for a two-run blast to get the Wildcats on the board first.
For the first time in 13.2 innings, Kuhns had allowed an earned run.
Things only worsened for the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, product in the bottom of the fifth. Kentucky posted a four-spot, the brunt of the damage done on a Braxton Van Cleave three-run bomb to give his guys a 6-0 cushion.
Vols’ bats subdued
After posting a season-high 29 runs in its series with Alabama, Tennessee’s offense couldn’t keep the momentum rolling into the first match of the weekend in Lexington.
As the Wildcats generated traffic on the basepaths in several innings, the Vols failed to match their rivals in the batter’s box. Cleaver showcased some efficiency, working his way through the Tennessee lineup by relying on putouts from his defense.
He sent the Vols packing in order in both the fifth and sixth innings before stranding two runners in the seventh. Tennessee’s silence persisted.
Kentucky’s two-out success
With one out to work with, Kentucky didn’t squeeze the bats too tightly.
In five different frames, the Wildcats picked up two-out hits to sustain their offensive barrage. Six of their 13 knocks came in these spots, two of them producing runs.
The Vols were just 2-for-11 in these scenarios.
Tennessee will try to bounce back in the middle game of the series on May 2.
