Tennessee takes first loss in 5-4 game against Wright State
Tennessee lost their first game of the season to Wright State on Friday.
The No.11 Tennessee Volunteers (13-1) faced the Wright State Raiders (4-8) at Linsey Nelson Stadium for the first game of a three-game series on Friday. The high-scoring Volunteers came into the game looking to continue their undefeated winning streak. Meanwhile, the Raiders were looking to extend their win streak after defeating Miami 8-6 on Tuesday.
Neither side seemed like the dominant team right out of the gate, and after three innings, the game was tied at one apiece. Vol pitcher Chad Dallas allowed three hits, while Daniel Kreuzer allowed four. The only run for Tennessee came via a home run ball from Vol catcher Connor Pavolony.
However, this did not prove to be enough for the Vols. The Raiders quickly responded in the top of the third with a run of their own, and then in the fifth with two more.
Chad Dallas was replaced by Sean Hunley after allowing two runs on a double in the fifth inning. Dallas’s final stat line consisted of seven hits, two strikeouts and three earned runs. By the seventh inning stretch, the Vols could only muster four hits while the Raiders had 10.
The Raiders had been leading in hits the entire game, but the Vols continued to put on the pressure. Tennessee was able to change the narrative in the bottom of the eighth, and tie it up at 4-4. The Vols, however, failed to capitalize with the bases loaded at the bottom of the eighth inning.
In the top of the ninth, Alex Alders singled home the go-ahead run for the Raiders. This proved to be enough to take down the Volunteers 5-4. Tennessee was out hit and could not get anything going when they had runners on.
The Raiders finished with 13 hits, no errors and six strikeouts. The Vols finished with seven hits, no errors and nine strikeouts.
Tennessee coach Vitello said some coaching and lineup adjustments need to be made prior to the second game of the series.
“Any move that was made was not the right one. The lineup was not the right one,” Vitello said.
Each team will be back at it again tomorrow for game two of the three-game series. First pitch is set for 2 P.M. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Edited by Christian Knox and Ryan Sylvia
Featured image courtesy of Tennessee Baseball Twitter (@Vol_Baseball)
