SCORE: Tennessee 2, Kentucky 4 | T8

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No. 4 Tennessee baseball (33-6, 12-5 SEC) is set to battle the Kentucky Wildcats (21-15, 7-10 SEC) on Easter Sunday in game three of a three-game series in Knoxville.

First pitch at Lindsey Nelson Stadium is at 1:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.

For a full preview of the series, including pitching matchups, storylines and a prediction, click here.

Game three serves as the rubber match in the series after Tennessee won game one, 8-2, and lost game two, 4-1. The Vols dominated the series opener, scoring eight unanswered runs after falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first.

Starting pitcher Liam Doyle bounced back beautifully after giving up a two-run homer in the opening frame, giving up just two more hits in six scoreless innings. In total, Doyle struck out nine in 7.0 innings and threw 101 pitches. Tanner Franklin finished the game dealing a pair of scoreless innings.

On Saturday, Kentucky starting pitcher Nic McCay shut down Tennessee, limiting the Vols to just two hits while he was on the mound. UT totaled just three hits and one run in the loss, the lowest amount of runs the Vols have scored in a game all season.

Read recaps of both games below.

GAME ONE RECAP: Tennessee Baseball Takes Series Opener Against Kentucky

GAME TWO RECAP: Tennessee Baseball’s Offense Falls Flat As Kentucky Evens Weekend Series

In Saturday’s game, a foul ball unfortunately hit Tennessee relief pitcher Tanner Wiggins in the mouth. Tony Vitello said there were teeth involved in Wiggins’ injury, as the sophomore received immediate medical attention after being hit.

Read more about Wiggins’ status HERE.

Before the Kentucky series began, Tennessee picked up a 13-3 run-rule midweek win over Bellarmine that followed a series win last weekend at (then) No. 6 Ole Miss.

With the series win, Tennessee moved up one spot in this week’s D1 Baseball Top 25 rankings. See where Tennessee landed in all five major polls below.

RANKINGS: Where Tennessee Baseball Lands In Rankings After Series Win Over Ole Miss

The Ole Miss series win was a massive one for Tennessee, as it prevented back-to-back series losses for the Vols. Tennessee dropped its first series of the season and first since early March of 2024 two weeks ago against Texas A&M.

But the A&M series is an outlier on Tennessee’s otherwise dominant season so far. The Vols own road series wins over Top 15 teams Alabama and Ole Miss as well as series sweeps over Florida and South Carolina.

BLOSSOMING: Liam Doyle ‘Learning To Pitch’ And ‘Blossoming’ For Tennessee Baseball

Tennessee is fairly healthy this weekend. Star junior infielder Gavin Kilen returned to the starting lineup last weekend and remains in the lineup Sunday for the sixth straight SEC game. With Kilen still working his way back to 100% from a hamstring injury, he will remain the designated hitter for the time being.

Additionally, RHP AJ Russell finally made his 2025 SEC debut Saturday. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief. Expect Russell to become a more important piece of the bullpen as the season progresses.

While Russell and Kilen are full-go’s, talented freshman reliever Brayden Krenzel is out for the entirety of the Kentucky series with an illness.

Krenzel’s absence is a blow to the bullpen, specifically for Sunday’s game. Read more about Krenzel’s status HERE.

Injury/Availability Notes

Opponent Scout

Kentucky was an Omaha team last year but has come back down to Earth a bit in 2025.

The Wildcats are 7-10 so far in league play and own just one SEC series win (Texas A&M). However, Kentucky has played every opponent tough in its grueling schedule thus far and is just a handful of runs away from being a Top 10 team. The Cats have not gotten swept yet this season and that remained the case this weekend after they beat the Vols Saturday to force a rubber match.

Head coach Nick Mingione is in his ninth year in Lexington. His 2025 squad contains two Preseason All-Conference selections in catcher Devin Burkes and pitcher Robert Hogan, who tossed 2.2 innings on Friday.

Sunday will be a hard-fought game, but Tennessee has the pitching edge with Nate Snead having not thrown yet this weekend.

Prediction: Tennessee wins the series.

TRANSCRIPT: Everything Tennessee HC Tony Vitello Said After Kentucky Evened Weekend Series

For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, click here.

For the latest RTI Diamond Pass podcast, featuring a discussion of where Tennessee baseball is at halfway through SEC play, click here.

VIDEO: Tony Vitello Recaps Series-Evening Loss to Kentucky

Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.

TENNESSEE STARTING NINE: 

2B Dean Curley (R)

DH Gavin Kilen (L)

CF Hunter Ensley (R)

1B Andrew Fischer (L)

RF Reese Chapman (L)

C Cannon Peebles (S)

3B Dalton Bargo (L)

SS Manny Marin (R)

LF Chris Newstrom (R)

Lineup Notes:

• Cannon Peebles back behind the plate after Stone Lawless got the catcher start Saturday
• Manny Marin continues to start at shortstop. He’s 1-5 at the plate this weekend. If Tennessee gets a lead, expect Ariel Antigua to enter the game.
• Dean Curley remains at second base for the fourth straight game. He has struggled defensively so far this season on the left side of the infield.
• With Curley at second, Dalton Bargo starts at third.
• Chris Newstrom gets the left field start, same as Friday. Abernathy started in left Saturday.
• Order shifted around a bit with a lefty on the mound.

KENTUCKY STARTING NINE: 

SS Tyler Bell (S)

1B Hudson Brown (L)

RF Kyuss Gargett (S)

DH Dylan Koontz (L)

3B Patrick Herrera (R)

CF Carson Hansen (L)

C Devin Burkes (R)

2B Luke Lawrence (L)

LF Ryan Schwartz (R)

Pitching Matchup:

Vols Fr. RHP Tegan Kuhns (2-1, 2.86 ERA, 9 app., 6 starts, 22.0 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 8 BB, 23 K, .239 opp. batting avg., 1.32 WHIP)

vs.

Wildcats So. LHP Ben Cleaver (3-2, 2.87 ERA, 9 app., 9 starts, 47.0 IP, 28 H, 18 ER, 15 ER, 16 BB, 56 K, .175 opp. batting avg., 0.94 WHIP)

Pitching notes:

• Kuhns continues to start in a game three setting. Poor defense shortened his outing a week ago.
  • With Krenzel unavailable, it will be interesting to see if Vitello lets Kuhns go deeper into today’s game.
  • Snead is the top arm behind Kuhns. Everyone else outside AJ Russell is probably also available today out of the pen.

Uniforms

Tennessee: Sunday creams

Kentucky: Blue shirts with grey pants and grey caps

*NOTES*

• The run-rule is MANDATORY in SEC play. If Tennessee or Kentucky leads by 10 or more runs after the 7th inning, the game is over.

1st Inning: 

T1

-Tyler Bell strikes out looking.

-Hudson Brown grounds out to 2B.

-Kyuss Gargett grounds out to SS.

END OF TOP HALF

B1

-Dean Curley flies out to RF.

-Gavin Kilen flies out to CF in right-center.

• Nice catch by center fielder Carson Hansen at the wall.

-Hunter Ensley singles to left field.

Ensley advances to second on a balk.

-Andrew Fischer lines out to CF.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Wildcats 0

2nd Inning: 

T2

-Dylan Koontz pop up to 3B.

-Patrick Herrera grounds out to SS.

-Carson Hansen singles to right-center.

Hansen steals second.

• Peebles throw was not close but Ensley got it quick enough to where Hansen didn’t attempt to go to third.

-Devin Burkes works a walk.

Frank Anderson calls a mound meeting.

-Luke Lawrence works a walk.

• Bases loaded with two outs for nine-hole hitter Ryan Schwartz.

-Ryan Schwartz smacks an RBI single to left field.

• Burke strangely held at third.

*Pitching change: So. LHP Brandon Arvidson (2-0, 4.32 ERA) on to pitch for Kuhns*

Burkes scores on a wild pitch. Lawrence and Schwartz advance to third and second on the wild pitch.

• Pitch in the dirt was then hit to the wall by Peebles’ knee or foot, allowing Burkes to score. Wouldn’t have otherwise.

-Tyler Bell strikes out swinging.

END OF TOP HALF

B2

-Reese Chapman strikes out swinging.

-Cannon Peebles grounds out to SS.

-Dalton Bargo strikes out looking.

• Rough strike three call. Home plate ump Jeff Head squeezed Kuhns a bit then rings Bargo up on a pitch that was high there.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Wildcats 2

3rd Inning: 

T3

-Hudson Brown flies out to RF.

-Kyuss Gargett flies out to LF.

-Dylan Koontz fouls out to SS.

• Strong inning from Arvidson. 7-pitch inning.

END OF TOP HALF

B3

-Manny Marin singles to left field.

-Chris Newstrom strikes out swinging on three pitches.

-Dean Curley grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Wildcats 2

4th Inning: 

T4

-Patrick Herrera strikes out swinging on three pitches.

-Carson Hansen works a walk.

-Devin Burkes singles through the left side.

Double steal. Hansen scores on a fielding error by SS. Burkes advances to third on the error.

• Peebles’ throw was a little off line but Marin should have been able to catch it and apply the tag. Was initially ruled as an error on Peebles but was later changed.
• Marin was too focused on the tag and didn’t focus on completing the catch. Ball goes into the outfield as a result allowing a run to score.

-Luke Lawrence strikes out swinging.

*Pitching change: Jr. RHP Nate Snead (3-0, 2.90 ERA) on to pitch for Arvidson*

-Ryan Schwartz strikes out swinging.

END OF TOP HALF

B4

-Gavin Kilen knocks a single through the left side.

• Beat the shift with a softly hit single into shallow left field.

-Hunter Ensley flies out to RF.

-Andrew Fischer strikes out swinging.

-Reese Chapman fouls out to SS.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Wildcats 3

5th Inning: 

T5

-Tyler Bell grounds out to 2B.

-Hudson Brown flies out to RF in right-center.

• Nice running catch by Chapman.

-Kyuss Gargett flies out to CF.

END OF TOP HALF

B5

-Cannon Peebles flies out to LF.

-Dalton Bargo grounds out to 2B.

-Manny Marin reaches on a throwing error by 3B.

• Throw took 1B Hudson Brown off the bag, caught the ball but couldn’t lay the tag as Marin reaches.

-Chris Newstrom strikes out looking.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Wildcats 3

6th Inning: 

T6

-Dylan Koontz grounds out to 2B.

-Patrick Herrera reaches on a muffed throw by 1B, assist by SS.

• Low throw from Manny but Fischer has to make that catch. Usually does. Ugly mistake again by Tennessee.

-Carson Hansen flies out to CF.

Herrera steals second.

Herrera steals third.

-Devin Burkes grounds out to SS.

END OF TOP HALF

B6

-Dean Curley works a leadoff walk.

-Gavin Kilen strikes out looking.

-Hunter Ensley rips a two-run homer to left field.

• 372 feet, 98 mph.
• Ensley’s 7th HR of the season.
• FINALLY some momentum for Tennessee.

-Andrew Fischer flies out to 3B in right-center.

• Herrera was playing the 3.5 hole because of the shift.

-Reese Chapman strikes out swinging.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 2, Wildcats 3

7th Inning: 

T7

-Luke Lawrence singles to right field.

Lawrence caught stealing second, 2-4.

• First time Tennessee has caught a runner stealing this weekend.

-Ryan Schwartz grounds out to 1B unassisted.

• Great play by Fischer to get in front of a hard-hit ball down the 1B line. Made a diving stop.

-Tyler Bell strikes out looking.

END OF TOP HANGING

B7

-Cannon Peebles grounds out to C.

• Peebles was initially ruled safe, but the ruling was changed to OUT after review initiated by a Kentucky challenge.
• Peebles barely made contact and Burkes’ throw was a bit wide to first, but it seems Hudson Brown was able to keep his toe on the bag.
• Surprised the ruling was overturned given the initial ruling was safe.

-Dalton Bargo flies out to LF.

-Manny Marin pops up to SS.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 2, Wildcats 3

8th Inning: 

T8

*Ariel Antigua to SS for Manny Marin*

-Hudson Brown beats a ground-rule double to left-center.

*Griffin Cameron pinch-running for Hudson Brown*

-Kyuss Gargett singles to right field. Cameron to third.

-Dylan Koontz RBI groundout, out at first 4-6-3. Cameron scores. Gargett to second.

• Tennessee tried to turn a 4-6-3 double play but Antigua was unable to get his foot on the bag before making the turn and throwing to first.

B8

Score: Vols 2, Wildcats 4

9th Inning: 

T9

B9

Score: Vols , Wildcats 

FINAL: Tennessee Vols __, Kentucky Wildcats __