Tennessee baseball took the opener against Kentucky but faltered in the following two afternoons.
On Sunday, the No. 4 Vols dropped the series with the Wildcats via an 8-2 defeat in Knoxville.
This marks the second SEC series Tennessee (33-7, 12-6 SEC) have suffered this year, both at home. The other misstep came to Texas A&M.
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Kentucky (22-15, 8-10) took an early advantage in the second inning that it didn't cough up. A three-run eighth inning and two-run ninth was enough insurance to claim the comfortable win.
The Vols started freshman Tegan Kuhns on the mound who went 1.2 innings before allowing two runs to cross and being pulled for Brandon Arvidson. Kuhns' replacement went two innings while allowing one unearned run.
That made way for Nate Snead, Tanner Franklin and Dylan Loy to go the rest of the way. Snead pitched well until the eighth where he was responsible for three earned runs after 3.2 innings of work. Franklin allowed a pair to score in 0.2 innings while Loy cleaned it up with one inning of pitching and no earned runs.
At the plate, Tennessee got all of its production from a Hunter Ensley two-run shot in the sixth.
The Vols would record 11 hits compared to the six from the Wildcats. Additional defensive miscues allowed Kentucky to win the trip to Knoxville with two more errors being pinned on Tennessee throughout the game.
WHAT HAPPENED
After a 1-2-3 inning to begin the game, Kuhns worked his way into a pair of outs quickly in the second inning. However, a hit and two walks loaded the bases for Kentucky.
With a single pushing across one, that marked the end of the day for the freshman. Arvidson would enter with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the second inning in an attempt to clean up the mess.
With two strikes, Arvidson tossed a wild pitch to let another run cross. This would be all the damage allowed, though, with Kentucky taking a 2-0 lead into the middle of the second.
In the bottom of the third, Tennessee threatened with a lead-off single by Manny Marin. However, an ensuing strikeout and double-play ball left the game as a two-run advantage for the Wildcats.
The top of the fourth saw another run cross for Kentucky. On a double-steal, a poor throw allowed a run to cross. Snead would enter from there to limit the damage.
In the bottom of the frame, Gavin Kilen got aboard as the lead-off hitter. However, it went down as another empty inning despite the early runner.
Tennessee was able to get on the board in the sixth, though. The Vols used a two-run shot by Ensley to cut the lead to just 3-2.
With Tennessee knocking on the door, Kentucky got the insurance it need in the eighth, though. The Wildcats produced a trio of runs to provide a 6-2 cushion with just six outs to go.
Kentucky wasn't satisfied with just that, though. It put up another pair of runs to make it a six-run advantage with an inning to play.
The Vols got a double from Andrew Fischer in the ninth and a two-out walk but that was all as they fell 8-2.
UP NEXT
Tennessee now turns its attention to another Tuesday, midweek clash. This time, the Vols will host in-state Lipscomb. The game is set for 6 p.m. ET and will air on SECN+.
Then, Tennessee hits the road for a tough SEC matchup. The Vols will face No. 9 LSU in Baton Rouge from Friday through Sunday. Pitch times are set for 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday's game will air on ESPNU and Sunday on SEC Network.
The next home SEC series will be the dates of May 2-4 when Tennessee hosts No. 8 Auburn.
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