Baseball Vols fall late to ULM

KNOXVILLE -- Jared Allen picked a crucial time to hit the first home run of his Tennessee baseball career.

It took little time, though, for the Volunteers to squander the former Polk County High School standout's game-tying solo shot.

Louisiana-Monroe answered Allen's homer with a three-run seventh inning in a 7-4 series-clinching win on Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

"We have still a ways to go mentality wise to get to where we need to get to," first-year UT coach Dave Serrano said. "It needs to be a pressing issue each and every day to be the best team on the field, and I don't see that consistently enough right now."

The Warhawks (11-6) scored four first-inning runs after their first three batters reached base. UT shortstop Zach Osborne doubled in a run and scored on an error to answer in the bottom of the frame. Ethan Bennett's fourth-inning RBI single set up Allen's blast to left.

However, UT (10-5) lost the lead in the seventh. After left-handed reliever Hunter Daniel retired the inning's first two hitters, but Joey Rapp doubled and scored on Brandon Alexander's single before Judd Edwards smacked a two-run home run.

UT's pitching staff allowed just six hits but walked nine sevens batters. Despite nine hits, the Vols left seven on base and hit into a pair of double plays.