Four Quick Takes on a series-loss at Georgia
Tennessee will have to wait two more weeks to see if it can secure a series-win on the road this season as the Vols came up short in game three at Georgia Sunday afternoon, 9-4 the final score.
The Bulldogs (27-21, 10-14 SEC) poured it on offensively with two runs in the first, a run in each of the second and third innings – and four more in the fifth to double up the Volunteers (32-16, 12-12 SEC) on the afternoon. Georgia blasted four home runs during the win.
Tennessee managed four runs off 10 hits on the afternoon while Georgia scored nine runs off 14 hits. Both teams logged an error in the field. Drew Beam (6-3) is charged with the loss after surrendering eight runs (seven earned) off 10 hits over 4.1 innings. Kyle Greenler (2-0) took home the win after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief.
The Vols return to action this Tuesday against Austin Peay, but before that, how did this one happen for Tennessee?
A wasted opportunity
It was early on into the ballgame Sunday afternoon, but Ben Anderson’s opposite field line drive home run got the party started for Georgia with two quick runs its first time to the plate. Tennessee had a great opportunity to cut into that deficit or even tie the ballgame in the half-inning that followed, but the struggles with runners in scoring position that plagued the Vols on Saturday were alive and well in today’s second inning, too.
Christian Moore led off the frame with walk and moved to second on a groundout from Griffin Merritt. Zane Denton was hit by a pitch to put a pair of base runners on with only one out. Back-to-back strikeouts from Tennessee’s eight and nine hitters, however, prevented the Vols from breaking through as Christian Scott went down swinging and Cal Stark was rung up looking.
Who is to know the direction the game could have taken if Tennessee got something there, but one thing was apparent – it was a big time missed opportunity.
Not your day, Drew Beam
Drew Beam just couldn’t shake the Georgia lineup – and it started from the absolute get-go of the ballgame when Ben Anderson greeted him with a leadoff home run. The righty allowed a pair of runs in the first inning and one in each of the two innings that followed before being chased after four scored in the fifth. Beam allowed four home runs on the day and those were responsible for six of his eight runs given up. Prior to the outing, Tennessee’s No. 3 starter had allowed just four home runs across 54.2 innings. On Sunday, he doubled that mark.
Final line: 4.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 10 H, 5 SO, 1 BB, 81 pitches (55 strikes). Worth noting, he was left in way too long – at least in my opinion.
Beam’s road struggles continued in conference play as he’s now allowed 24 runs (14 earned runs) on 13.0 innings pitched at Missouri, LSU and now Georgia. In SEC home starts against Texas A&M, Florida, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, the hurler has allowed a combined 10 runs (seven earned) over 25 innings pitched.
OK, Cal Stark
Cal Stark is Tennessee’s catcher. It’s been this way for just over three weeks now as the outfield of Jared Dickey, Hunter Ensley and Christian Scott is set. Because of that, Jared Dickey is not seeing time behind the plate anymore. With Stark actually being a catcher, he handles the staff well and is good defensively with blocks and other aspects of the position. Sure, there’s not been many caught base stealers – and yes, that’s an issue – but that’s as much on the pitchers than the catchers. But Cal Stark made a really nice play back in the second inning, throwing behind Dwight Allen at first base for the pickoff.
Two innings later at the plate, Cal Stark tied the ballgame 4-4 at the time with a two-run home run for his fourth long ball of the season. In all, Stark reached base twice on the day, going 1-for-2 at the plate while also getting hit by a pitch. He also threw out another runner at third in the seventh inning. A good day for him.
Still coming up empty away from home
Friday was a great start to the series with the Vols exploding late with some runs to win by nine at 12-3. You knew it wasn’t in the bag, but you felt great about Tennessee’s chances of securing its first series-win of the season on the road. It didn’t work out that way as the Bulldogs took each of the next two games to win the series two games to one.
The record on the road for Tennessee now sits at 2-11. The Vols will have one more chance to win a series on the road before postseason play begins and that will come in two weeks when the regular-season wraps up in Columbia, South Carolina against the Gamecocks.
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