Tennessee evened its series with Missouri, winning 4-2 behind a gutsy pitching performance from freshman Cam Appenzeller and timely hitting from its trio of catchers.
The first inning was quiet for both teams, but the offenses came alive in the second. Missouri struck first. Tennessee starter Landon Mack walked the first two batters, then Blaize Ward delivered an RBI single. Keegan Knutson followed with an RBI sacrifice bunt to put the Tigers up 2-0.
Mack recovered, retiring the next three batters to limit the damage. “Sometimes it’s just me versus you — mano a mano,” Tennessee coach Josh Elander said. “He did a good job of putting an end to it. That was a huge spot to leave it at two.”
Tennessee responded in the bottom of the second. With two outs, catchers Stone Lawless, Trent Grindlinger and Levi Clark sparked a rally. Lawless walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Grindlinger’s RBI single scored Tennessee’s first run. “Trent was great,” Elander said. “He’s hitting over .500 and taking advantage of his opportunities.”
Mack settled in over the next two innings, but ran into trouble again in the fifth. After a leadoff walk and consecutive singles loaded the bases with no outs, Elander turned to Appenzeller. The freshman struck out two and induced a pop-up to shortstop to escape the jam unscathed. “He’s starting to get in tune with recovery and arm care, which puts him in a position to have long-term success,” Elander said.
Tennessee chipped away at Missouri’s lead. In the bottom of the third, Henry Ford’s leadoff double set up Manny Marin’s RBI groundout to tie the game. In the fourth, the catching trio was involved again: Lawless doubled, Grindlinger’s flyout moved him to third, and Clark’s sacrifice fly gave Tennessee the lead. Clark said it was special to be part of the offense with his close teammates. “All three of us are super close… it was a lot of fun to be back-to-back-to-back,” he said.
In the sixth, Tennessee added an insurance run. Garrett Wright doubled with one out and later scored on a wild pitch, extending the Volunteers’ lead to 4-2.
Appenzeller finished seven innings with seven strikeouts, allowing no baserunner past first until the ninth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Elander called on Bo Rhudy to close the game. Appenzeller said he enjoys pitching in high-pressure situations. “It’s nice to have the coaches trust me to come into that spot,” he said.
The series is even at 1-1. Tennessee and Missouri will play the rubber match Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
