Tennessee’s three-game baseball series at Vanderbilt went from bad to worse Sunday afternoon.
After losing to the Commodores in 10 innings Friday night and in 16 innings Saturday afternoon, the No. 20 Volunteers scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to build a 15-10 advantage only to surrender six runs in a 16-15 loss before 3,442 fans inside Hawkins Field. Tommy Goodin’s pinch-hit grand slam to left-center field with one out in the ninth polished off the sweep for Vanderbilt.
“It’s a gutting game, and it was a tough weekend,” Tennessee first-year coach Josh Elander told reporters afterward. “Our guys just need to get back off the mat. There is plenty of conference play left. We can talk about being in these games, but you’ve got a five-run lead in the ninth, and you’ve got to attack the strike zone.
“We had a better response from our offense today, but we’re far from playing anywhere near our best baseball.”
The Vols, who fell to 18-10 overall and to 3-6 in Southeastern Conference play, can expect to drop out of the national rankings. Vanderbilt improved to 17-12 overall and to 5-4 within the league.