Tennessee played its SEC home opener against Missouri Friday night, losing 8-4.
Tegan Kuhns started on the mound for Tennessee. He looked dominant in the first inning, allowing just a single while striking out the other three batters.
Tennessee threatened in its turn at the plate in the first. After the first two batters got out on two pitches, Henry Ford and Blake Grimmer both singled before Reese Chapman rolled over to the first baseman.
Kuhns lost it a bit in the second inning. His fastball velocity dipped, and he lost control of the strike zone. He worked around a leadoff walk, but his struggles carried into the next inning.
Kuhns gave up a leadoff single and his third stolen base of the game before Jase Woita drove in the game’s first run on an RBI double. Pierre Seals followed immediately with a two-run home run to extend the lead to three. Kuhns allowed another single and a stolen base before finally recording the last two outs of the inning.
Tennessee threatened to respond in the bottom of the third, getting runners on first and second with one out and Ford coming up to the plate. After Garrett Wright overslid third base and was tagged out for the second out of the inning, Tennessee again failed to score.
Kuhns went out to start the fourth inning but gave up a leadoff double. Tennessee coach Josh Elander pulled Kuhns from the game, replacing him with Brady Frederick. The reliever came in and retired the next three batters, getting out of the jam.
“He just wasn’t crisp,” Elander said of Kuhns after the game. “The command kind of faltered a little bit, not the usual Tegan we’re used to seeing… He’s going to need to make some adjustments going into his next outing.”
Tennessee got [DZ2] on the board when Stone Lawless went deep for a solo shot. That was the only run Tennessee scored that inning.
Frederick looked to be putting up another zero and giving Tennessee some momentum, but Missouri rallied with two outs, notching two singles and a hit by pitch to load the bases.
Blaize Ward then singled to drive in two runs and extend Missouri’s lead again. Keegan Knutson lined out to end the inning.
Tennessee’s only multi-run inning was the bottom of the sixth, when Jay Abernathy drove in a run with a groundout, and Tyler Myatt hit a pinch-hit RBI single.
Again, Missouri responded with a three-run home run by Knutson in the top of the seventh.
Tennessee kept trying to chip away, but could never get the big hit to equalize the score.
Elander didn’t have much to add about the offense other than, “We need to execute a little bit better” in scoring opportunities.
Elander added, “Especially Friday night in this league, as good as the arms are, you may have one chance to get the starter. We were fortunate to have two, and we didn’t get it done either time.”
Elander credited Missouri’s starter, Javyn Pimental, for keeping Tennessee’s lineup off balance. But Elander still circled back to the importance of executing in those situations.
The series will continue Saturday night at 6 p.m. ET as Tennessee looks to equalize the series.
