Tennessee’s stay in Hoover turned out to be a short one, following an explosive first inning from Arkansas on Thursday evening. The Razorbacks got to Tennessee starter Evan Blanco quickly, and didn’t let up.
A couple of home runs had Arkansas off and running in the bottom of the first, as Blanco wasn’t missing a whole lot of bats out of the gates. In just a matter of minutes, Tennessee found themselves in a 4-0 hole — a familiar place over the last couple of weeks.
Zack Stewart would blast an absolute
no-doubter in the bottom of the third to make it 5-0 before the Volunteers would finally show some life. Tennessee capitalized on a bloop that ended up being perfectly placed by Blaine Brown to plate two runs in the top of the fourth. Henry Ford would inch Tennessee closer with an RBI double in the fifth.
However, TJ Pompey put the nail in the coffin in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run shot to seal things up for Arkansas. Tennessee had nothing left in the tank, and the Razorbacks went on to win 8-4.
“I think just the breaking stuff was not as sharp as usual tonight,” Josh Elander said of Blanco’s start. “I just love that he got out there and competed. Again, obviously not his best stuff.
“And 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.”
Arkansas now moves on to face No. 2 seed Texas. Tennessee gets a few much-needed days off over the next week in hopes of getting healthy ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Elander has been optimistic that Reese Chapman can return to the lineup after being struck by a line drive in the face on Monday during practice. Stater Landon Mack’s status remains a mystery.
Tennessee will learn where they’re going on Monday during the NCAA selection show. The Volunteers have been projected as a No. 2 seed in various regions over the last couple of weeks, with North Carolina and Southern Miss seeming like the two most likely destinations.
