Two of the best pitching staffs in the country squared off this weekend inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The tale of the tape in the Tennessee and Ole Miss matchup is two premium pitching groups coupled with modest, yet capable offenses.
Entering the weekend, the Vols and Rebels reside in the top 20 of the nation in WHIP and K-per-nine. Both squads sit outside the top 10 of the SEC in batting average, with just a three-point differential in the standings of that category.
On Friday night, it was the Rebels’ veteran left-hander, Hunter Elliott, out-dealing the Vols’ righty Landon Mack. Elliott earned his 20th career win during his 40th start, while keeping the Volunteer offense in check through six innings. The Ole Miss southpaw allowed three runs and recorded five strikeouts to one walk across 88 pitches.
Elliott exited the game with a 6-2 led, handing the pitching duties off to Hudson Calhoun and Walker Hooks. After allowing a two-run homer off the bat of Jay Abernathy, Calhoun settled in and set the table for Hooks to close the game with a perfect ninth frame.
For the Vols, Mack allowed runs in four of the first five innings. Mack gave up three solo home runs before Ole Miss pieced together three more scores across the fourth and fifth innings. The Tennessee sophomore tied a career-high in earned runs allowed after working 5 1/3 innings on 104 pitches.
Mack had recently been on an impressive stretch spanning three starts. The right-hander came in to the weekend with 25 strikeouts to one walk across the previous 16 innings. Mack had two walks and two hit batters, on top of the six earned runs against the Rebels on Friday.
Saturday’s starting pitching
Tegan Kuhns and Cade Townsend squared off for Saturday’s pitching duel, and neither right-hander disappointed in front of a record crowd at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Kuhns entered Saturday trying to carry over success from a career-best performance from the previous weekend against Mississippi State. Kuhns posted seven strikeouts to one walk, while allowing two earned runs across six innings at Dudy Noble Field. The Vols’ Saturday starter was just one of many bright spots from a pitching staff that combined for 32 strikeouts to two walks and surrendered nine earned runs over the course of a series sweep in Starkville.
Kuhns was magnificent again against Ole Miss, hurling 10 strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings. The sophomore flashed excellent command on the fastball in combination with an above-average breaking ball. Kuhns generated whiffs from both the heater and breaking pitches, while holding the Rebels scoreless through another quality start.
Townsend pitching a gem
Townsend was up to the task of matching Kuhns. The Ole Miss starter came into the matchup sporting one of the best K/9 marks in the SEC. The right-hander boasts a 13.63 K/9, good for third in the conference. Townsend allowed just one hit across six frames and kept the Vols off balance with an expanded pitch mix. The Rebels’ righty had supreme command of his breaking pitches, as well as a mid-90s fastball that crippled the Tennessee bats across six innings on Saturday.
The two Saturday starters set the tone for a bullpen battle, which resulted in Ole Miss pouring six runs on the Vols in the ninth inning right before storms rolled into Knoxville.
Tennessee freshman Cam Appenzeller began his relief efforts by inducing a popout off the bat of Owen Paino. Appenzller then struggled with lead-off batters the next three frames. The Rebels tacked on a run in the sixth and seventh, respectively. But the dam eventually broke after Appenzeller allowed three straight singles before a Tristan Bissetta grand slam.
The six-run frame provided Ole Miss with plenty of insurance, as Trent Grindlinger’s solo home run in the ninth inning presented the Vols’ only offensive side note.
Pitching to salvage Sunday
The 8-1 Mississippi victory on Saturday set the stage for a salvage opportunity for Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. Evan Blanco and Taylor Rabe dueled for two scoreless innings before Bissetta drove in the game’s first run. The one-run third inning from Ole Miss elicited a huge response from Tennessee, as the Vols erupted for five scores in the bottom of the inning. Levi Clark and Blake Grimmer homered in the frame to provide Blanco and the Volunteers with some cushion to work with.
Rabe showed excellent command early on Sunday, continuing a dominant stretch as the right-hander has developed from a premium relief role to Sunday starter. Rabe entered Sunday with 37 strikeouts across 31 1/3 innings, while allowing just five walks.
The Rebels sophomore challenged the Vols in the strike zone. But Tennessee ultimately won some of those battles, tagging Rabe for five earned runs off the bats of Clark and Grimmer. Clark’s 425-foot home run out of left-center field was a damaged slider that hung in the zone. Grimmer’s blast was a hanging changeup.
The Vol duo went yard again later in the contest, marking the first time this season that two Volunteers recorded multi-homer performances in the same game. Grimmer bested Clark in the home run spree on Sunday, as the Vols utility connected for a third blast in the eighth inning, leaving the yard with 110 mph exit velocity.
Up next
Blanco worked a career-high 110 pitches on Sunday through six innings. The left-hander was steady and effective against the Ole Miss bats, as he recorded eight strikeouts to one walk. Holding the Rebels offense to just three runs after six frames felt like a position the Vols could take advantage of, especially on a day where Tennessee launched six long balls.
The 13-5 Volunteer victory revealed that the Tennessee offense has a chance to carry momentum through a significant homestand. Not being able to win the pitching battle through games one and two of this weekend positioned the Vols into a desperate spot just to salvage a home series. Tennessee’s response on Sunday is important, as the Volunteers look to protect the home ballpark next weekend against Alabama.
Ole Miss finishes the weekend tied for fourth in the SEC standings with a conference record of 10-8. Just two games separate the Vols and Rebels, but as many as eight teams could finish the weekend in that mix. Mississippi hosts Georgia next weekend with four SEC weekends remaining on the slate.
