- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,150,387
- Reaction score
- 59
Tennessee baseball’s NCAA Tournament opener ended like so many of its other defeats have. It ended with opposing hitters teeing off on the Vols ever-so-vulnerable relief pitching.
But don’t let the ending fool you. No. 2 seed Tennessee (38-21) didn’t lose to No. 3 seed East Carolina (37-22-1) in 14 innings because of pitching. This time, its hitters came up short in a 7-3 defeat that knocked the Vols into the losers bracket of the Chapel Hill Regional on May 29 at Boshamer Stadium.
UT twice botched scoring opportunities in extra innings before its relievers gave way in the last inning of a 4 ½ hour game.
East Carolina’s Walker Barron broke a 3-3 tie with a home run to lead off the top of the 14th inning against reliever Will Haas. The Pirates tacked on three more runs off Haas and Cam Appenzeller.
Brett Antolick, ECU coach Cliff Godwin’s sixth pitcher, closed out the Vols in the bottom of the 14th without a run.
Both coaches managed as though this was a single-elimination tournament. They combined to use 11 pitchers and made enough substitutions for two games.
If you check the percentages, it basically was a must-win game. About 93% of regional winners prevail in their opening game, which raises the question: “Why didn’t Tennessee coach Josh Elander start his best pitcher?”
Answer: Because he was trying to win the regional, not just one game. His decision to start Evan Blanco over No. 1 starter Tegan Kuhns was the right move. That saved Kuhns for Game 2 when the Vols would have expected to play No. 1 seed North Carolina.
Face it: Tennessee’s pitching is so shallow, there’s no foolproof strategy.
But Blanco made Elander look like a genius by delivering his strongest performance of the year. He allowed only one run, gave up seven hits and didn’t walk a batter in seven innings.
Blanco wasn’t the only pitching star for the Vols. Reliever Bo Rhudy gave up just one run in four innings. By Tennessee’s bullpen standards, that’s downright spectacular. The Blanco-Rhudy combination would have been sufficient for victory if only the Vols’ hitters had provided more support.
The Vols had their hitting highlights, just not enough of them. Blake Grimmer gave them a 1-0 lead with a fourth-inning home run, and Henry Ford tied the game in the ninth with a two-out solo homer, his 20th of the season.
Tennessee went down swinging – and missing.
East Carolina pitchers recorded 18 strikeouts. Tennessee’s hitting difficulties were magnified against star reliever Ethan Norby, who’s obviously unfazed by his pitch count. He struck out eight in 4.2 innings after entering the game in the seventh.
Give the Pirates credit. They might be deemed a mid-major in football and basketball, but there’s nothing mid about their baseball program. They are playing in their 36th NCAA Tournament, and their tournament experience showed in the clutch.
ADAMS: Why making NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment for Tennessee baseball | Adams
East Carolina has advanced this far despite losing two of its top three starting pitchers and closer to injuries. And it’s comfortable in an underdog role in a regional that host North Carolina is favored to win.
But after losing Game 1 of the regional, Tennessee became a bigger underdog.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Evan Blanco made Josh Elander look smart, but Tennessee baseball hitters faltered
Continue reading...
But don’t let the ending fool you. No. 2 seed Tennessee (38-21) didn’t lose to No. 3 seed East Carolina (37-22-1) in 14 innings because of pitching. This time, its hitters came up short in a 7-3 defeat that knocked the Vols into the losers bracket of the Chapel Hill Regional on May 29 at Boshamer Stadium.
UT twice botched scoring opportunities in extra innings before its relievers gave way in the last inning of a 4 ½ hour game.
East Carolina’s Walker Barron broke a 3-3 tie with a home run to lead off the top of the 14th inning against reliever Will Haas. The Pirates tacked on three more runs off Haas and Cam Appenzeller.
Brett Antolick, ECU coach Cliff Godwin’s sixth pitcher, closed out the Vols in the bottom of the 14th without a run.
Both coaches managed as though this was a single-elimination tournament. They combined to use 11 pitchers and made enough substitutions for two games.
If you check the percentages, it basically was a must-win game. About 93% of regional winners prevail in their opening game, which raises the question: “Why didn’t Tennessee coach Josh Elander start his best pitcher?”
Answer: Because he was trying to win the regional, not just one game. His decision to start Evan Blanco over No. 1 starter Tegan Kuhns was the right move. That saved Kuhns for Game 2 when the Vols would have expected to play No. 1 seed North Carolina.
Face it: Tennessee’s pitching is so shallow, there’s no foolproof strategy.
But Blanco made Elander look like a genius by delivering his strongest performance of the year. He allowed only one run, gave up seven hits and didn’t walk a batter in seven innings.
Blanco wasn’t the only pitching star for the Vols. Reliever Bo Rhudy gave up just one run in four innings. By Tennessee’s bullpen standards, that’s downright spectacular. The Blanco-Rhudy combination would have been sufficient for victory if only the Vols’ hitters had provided more support.
The Vols had their hitting highlights, just not enough of them. Blake Grimmer gave them a 1-0 lead with a fourth-inning home run, and Henry Ford tied the game in the ninth with a two-out solo homer, his 20th of the season.
Tennessee went down swinging – and missing.
East Carolina pitchers recorded 18 strikeouts. Tennessee’s hitting difficulties were magnified against star reliever Ethan Norby, who’s obviously unfazed by his pitch count. He struck out eight in 4.2 innings after entering the game in the seventh.
Give the Pirates credit. They might be deemed a mid-major in football and basketball, but there’s nothing mid about their baseball program. They are playing in their 36th NCAA Tournament, and their tournament experience showed in the clutch.
ADAMS: Why making NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment for Tennessee baseball | Adams
East Carolina has advanced this far despite losing two of its top three starting pitchers and closer to injuries. And it’s comfortable in an underdog role in a regional that host North Carolina is favored to win.
But after losing Game 1 of the regional, Tennessee became a bigger underdog.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Evan Blanco made Josh Elander look smart, but Tennessee baseball hitters faltered
Continue reading...
