Comparisons to last season’s team were inevitable for this year’s Tennessee Volunteers, who defeated Kentucky 10-7 Saturday afternoon inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium to win the series.
That was a feat the 2022 Vols could not attain, as the Wildcats were the only Southeastern Conference team to win a series against Tennessee. This season’s Vols haven’t displayed the same power or pizzazz as last year’s version that went 57-9 and earned the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and even Saturday’s triumph was shaky given that Tennessee led 8-1 through five innings.
“This was a competitive game, and I don’t know why you would expect anything else out of an SEC game,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said in a news conference. “We’ll take the scoreboard however we can get it.”
Tennessee’s 11th consecutive home triumph resulted in the Vols improving to 35-16 overall and to 14-12 in league play. They are now 32-4 this season inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium with games remaining there against Kentucky (34-15, 14-12 SEC) on Sunday afternoon and Belmont on Tuesday evening.
Jared Dickey’s grand slam to right-center field in the fourth inning put the Vols in control at 8-1, but the Wildcats scored three in the sixth and three in the seventh to pull within a run. In the bottom of the seventh, Zane Denton’s two-run double to left provided the needed cushion.