Vols swept for first time since 2019 in series vs. Missouri
Under Tony Vitello, Tennessee has turned into a powerhouse.
The coach has led the Vols to a trip to the College World Series and claimed the SEC Regular Season and Tournament title last season.
However, his team hasn't gotten out to a fast start this season. Tennessee lost its opening two games of the season before putting together a solid home stand against weaker competition.
With SEC play beginning over the weekend, the Vols took a trip to face Missouri.
Due to a 7-1 loss to the Tigers (16-3, 3-0 SEC) in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday, Tennessee (15-6, 0-3 SEC) was swept in the opening series.
This sweep comes as the first for the program since dropping three matches to Arkansas in April of 2019.
In the final game of the series, the Vols got out to a better start than the previous two matches. In those games, Missouri pieced together multiple runs in the first frame.
In Sunday's finale, Drew Beam sat down the Tigers in the opening two innings without allowing a run.
However, in the third inning, the starter gave up four runs.
Despite this, none of the runs are marked in the stat sheet as earned. Beam's defense let him down as the team made three errors while he was on the bump. These mistakes opened the door for scores and ultimately was the team's downfall.
In Beam's three innings of work, he gave up three hits, walked three batters and managed three strikeouts. He was also stuck with his first loss of the season.
He was then relieved by former Missouri pitcher Seth Halvorsen. In his return to Columbia, he gave up two runs with one of them earned. He finished the night with 1.2 innings pitched, two hits and two strikeouts.
Following Halvorsen was Kirby Connell, the left-handed reliever had his first pitch out of the bullpen hit for an RBI but he got out of the inning with a strikeout.
Finally, Camden Sewell pitched the final inning. Due to a walk and a pair of hit batters, he gave up another run. He never gave up a hit, though.
At the plate, Tennessee put together an even worse performance.
The Vols recorded just a single hit in the game off the bat of Hunter Ensley. This single drove in the team's lone run, as well.
With one hit, Tennessee earned runners with two batters walked and two hit by a pitch. However, most were stranded as the team also struck out 12 times.
Although the game was just seven innings long, only managing a single hit is inexcusable. This level of play won't push the Vols to what they hope to accomplish this season.
Next, Tennessee will host Western Carolina on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network+.
Following the mid-week showdown, the Vols will face Texas A&M in Knoxville for a weekend series.
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