Vols Bats Wake Up in 20-2 Run‑Rule Win Over In-State Foe Tennessee Tech

Image: Drew Garrison/Tennessee Athletics

By Aidan Sidoti

KNOXVILLE – No. 19 Tennessee baseball dismantled in-state foe Tennessee Tech 20–2 in seven innings Tuesday night, extending the Vols’ surge to seven wins in their last eight games as SEC play arrives.

Left fielder Garrett Wright wasted no time getting Tennessee on the board, launching a 376‑foot solo shot to left for his first home run of the season to make it 1–0. Before Tennessee Tech could record an out, the Vols were already up 5–0, capped by a long blast to right from Reese Chapman.

The home‑run parade didn’t stop there. Shortstop Manny Marin sent a two-run shot into the porches in left for his second homer on the season, pushing the lead to double digits and making it a 11-run margin.

Junior third baseman Henry Ford delivered one of the best nights of his short Vol career, driving in five runs, tying Chapman for the team high, including a 396-foot missile to left that stretched the lead to 16-1.

The loudest swing of the night, though, belonged to freshman outfielder Nate Eisfelder. The Johnson City native, who attended IMG Academy, recorded his first career hit in dramatic fashion. A 105‑mph laser to left for a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth, pushing Tennessee to the 20‑run mark and sealing the run‑rule victory.

Tennessee now turns its attention to the start of SEC play. The Vols head to Athens on Friday to open a three‑game series against No. 8 Georgia, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network.