Tennessee Defeats Arkansas 10-7 in Series Opener

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers baseball team defeated the fifth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks 10-7 Thursday night at Baum-Walker Stadium during the series opener. The victory was marked by four home runs from the Volunteers.

Tennessee (41-13, 16-12 SEC) will seek to win the series in Game 2 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Left-hander Liam Doyle, expected to be in contention for SEC pitcher of the year, is set to start for the Volunteers. He holds a 2.17 ERA.

The Razorbacks (41-12, 18-10) struggled in Game 1 with their ace left-hander Zach Root, who exited the game in the fourth inning. Root, who had previously pitched 14 innings with just 2 runs against LSU and Texas, allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and faced trouble in the fourth, which was marked by a 3-run inning for Tennessee.

Manny Marin‘s clutch 2-run single helped the Volunteers take the lead 3-2, and Gavin Kilen followed with an additional single to extend the lead to 4-2. According to Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, Root lacked his usual effectiveness, saying, “He didn’t have his good stuff really from the get go.”

The Razorbacks managed to close the gap to 4-3 in the fifth inning thanks to a double from Kuhio Aloy that scored Logan Maxwell.

A critical turning point occurred for Arkansas in the second inning when Charles Davalan seemed to have hit a 3-run double. However, a call on the field ruled Reese Robinett out after a relay throw from first baseman Andrew Fischer. The call was upheld after video review.

Despite the challenge, Arkansas continued to battle. The Razorbacks had a strong response in the eighth inning, bringing the score to 7-6 after a series of hits. But the Volunteers answered with a powerful 4-run inning in the ninth, featuring a 2-run homer from Cannon Peebles.

Tennessee’s pitching was highlighted by relievers Dylan Loy and AJ Russell, who executed crucial strikeouts to prevent Arkansas from capitalizing with runners on base. Tennessee coach Tony Vitello emphasized the overall effort of his pitching staff, stating, “The pitching group as a whole was a team effort.”

Phillips allowed 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings, but managed to keep the Razorbacks at bay with strategic pitching and alertness to base runners, making numerous pickoff attempts.

With Game 2 on the horizon, Vitello acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, “We’ll have our hands full tomorrow with a similar lineup that’s got a diversified way of going about it.”