Zero hits after the fifth inning does not sound like a winning formula in a tight game, but the UT baseball team still won over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday, thanks to plentiful walks and hit batsmen.
UT third baseman Parker Wormsley and designated hitter Davis Morgan provided RBI singles to the outfield to give the Vols a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
From there, the Vols (14-10) had eight baserunners off four walks and four hit batsmen, generating three additional runs and ensuring the Vols’ victory.
UT coach Dave Serrano said taking advantage of mistakes is what successful teams have to do.
“We were able to take advantage of some of their miscues,” Serrano said. “That’s what you have to do sometimes. We’re not swinging the bats particularly well right now, so we have to take advantage of every opportunity our opponents are giving us.”
Vols fans might have experienced déjà vu during the game. In the bottom of the sixth, the Vols garnered a five-pitch walk and two hit batsmen before UT shortstop Zach Osborne drove a ball to the outfield for a sac fly to give the Vols a run. In the eighth inning, the exact same scenario happened — five-pitch walk, two hit batsmen, Osborne sac fly — to give the Vols another run.
Serrano called it a part of the maturation of Osborne at the plate.
“Zach is doing a good job,” Serrano said. “He’s starting to come in on his own and take long at-bats, using his experience and what he’s had in this program. The game’s slowing down for him offensively a little bit. Defensively, he’s been there all year for us, but I think early on he put a little bit of pressure on himself to help carry this team, and now I think he’s fitting in his role of what we need him to do.”
After the Osborne sacrifice fly in the eighth, Mississippi Valley State right-handed pitcher Cody Parker gave up back-to-back walks to bring the Vols’ final run home.
The Vols ended up with three runs in two different innings without a hit in a bizarre latter half of the game.
Morgan said the team needs to get more run-scoring hits after a game where the Vols left 11 runners on base.
“You got to have small ball, but you also got to have hits,” Morgan said. “Small ball works. When we do that, it’s shown to work, but still, when you get guys on, you got to get hits. You got to find a way to get them in, just a sac fly or a groundball. If we can get them on, it’ll work, but we’ve just got to execute a bit better.”
Still, Morgan said the Vols are glad to take advantage of chances like they got Tuesday.
“Any time you get runs like that, it just builds on confidence for the hitters,” Morgan said. “If they’re walking guys, they’re eventually going to leave one out over the plate for you to hit. Absolutely, you got to take runs anyway you can. If they were going to walk us all night, we were going to keep going.”
In a game where the Vols struggled with the bats, the pitching held the game tight.
UT starter Robbie Kidd gave up one earned run on two hits in four innings pitched, while reliever Carter Watson followed up with two and two-thirds scoreless innings of his own.
Serrano commended the pitching for keeping the Vols in the game during the team’s offensive struggles.
“We just got to keep battling,” Serrano said. “We knew it was going to be hard, and it wasn’t going to be easy. We got to continue to accept those challenges.”
