Published May 15, 2025
Tennessee baseball takes Game 1 at Arkansas, still to pitch Liam Doyle
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Ryan Sylvia  •  VolReport
Assistant Managing Editor
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Tennessee baseball took game one of its series at Arkansas and it didn't have to pitch Liam Doyle.

Instead, with Marcus Phillips on the mound, the Vols downed the Razorbacks 10-7 in Fayetteville.

Giving Phillips proper run support was Dalton Bargo. He left the yard twice to put up a trio of RBI and two runs. Also leaving the yard was Dean Curley, his solo shot was a part of an impressive 3-for-4 day with two runs and an RBI.

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Cannon Peebles also homered late in the game to give Tennessee (41-13, 16-12 SEC) some insurance.

Phillips logged a positive start on the mound as he went 4.1 innings with seven hits, three earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts against Arkansas (41-12, 18-10).

He was bumped up to the game one role with Doyle getting an extra day to make sure he has a full week of recovery on his blister. Doyle will pitch for the Vols on Friday in game two with a chance to take the series.

Behind Phillips, Dylan Loy came in and retired one batter before handing the ball over to AJ Russell. Russell went two full frames with two allowed hits, no runs, two walks and three strikeouts.

From there, it was Tanner Franklin and Nate Snead to finish things out. Snead ran into trouble in the eighth and allowed another to cross in the ninth but held the lead intact and closed out the win.

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WHAT HAPPENED

In the first inning, it took just eight pitches for the Vols to get sat down in order. in the bottom of the frame, Arkansas recorded a pair of hits, but was limited to no runs after a double play was turned.

To lead off the second inning, Bargo left the park to opposite field. The solo shot gave Tennessee a 1-0 lead as it stranded one runner to end the inning.

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In the bottom of the second, Phillips allowed the bases to be loaded with just one out. However, after striking a batter out and going up 0-2 on the next, he allowed a hit down the first baseline. This scored a pair of runs before a runner was gunned out trying to go from first to home.

The Razorbacks used this to grab a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the third, Tennessee threatened to get the runs back. The Vols got their lead-off batter, Manny Marin, on but asked Gavin Kilen to bunt who popped out. Then, Andrew Fischer roped a single to put runners on the corners with one out. Hunter Ensley ultimately grounded into a double-play to leave the inning with no damage done.

In the following inning, Tennessee got the bases loaded with two outs to once again threaten to score. At the plate, Marin worked a full count before singling to score a pair and take a lead. Kilen followed it up with another clutch single to add another run before Arkansas' starter was pulled.

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In the bottom of the fourth, Phillips allowed two runners to reach with just one out. However, he managed to fight out of the jam with consecutive ground balls to get out unscathed.

He would allow Arkansas to get one run back in the following inning. After a bunt single and double, it pushed across an additional run. This made way for Loy to enter for one batter then Russell. That stopped the bleeding.

In the seventh, the Vols got some insurance. Bargo left the yard, again, on a two-run shot. The following at-bat, Curley drilled a solo shot. This outburst gave Tennessee a four-run edge with nine outs to go.

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In the seventh, Russell allowed the bases to get juiced with two outs. Franklin came on to get out of it.

In the eighth, Arkansas got after Snead who had entered. He allowed three runs to let it get back within a one run game. He worked his way out of the inning himself with the lead intact, though.

Peebles got two runs of insurance back right away, though. He ripped a two-run shot, with a bat-flip that induced disagreement, to make it a three-run game. Off a Kilen single, Jay Abernathy also made his way home for a run on an error getting the ball in.

Snead stayed in to finish things out and win by three after allowing one more to cross with two outs.

UP NEXT

Tennessee is now set to square off for game two of the series with Arkansas on Friday. This match is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on SECN+. The series will conclude on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

The SEC Tournament will begin May 20 and run through May 25. It is being held in Hoover, Alabama. It is a single-loss elimination tournament with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the league.

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