Vanderbilt baseball's Tim Corbin: 'We weren't a match' for Tennessee after sweep

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt baseball was the SEC's first-half bully. Before heading to Knoxville for a series against Tennessee, the Commodores hadn't lost back-to-back games all season, nor had they dropped a single series.

But the No. 20 Vols (26-14, 8-10 SEC) showed Vanderbilt once again who's become the boss in this rivalry as they swept the No. 4 Commodores (29-11, 13-5) for the second straight season. Vanderbilt has now lost four straight games and seven straight to Tennessee dating back to last season.

The Commodores could not recover from Friday's 4-3 loss, in which they held a two-run lead in the ninth inning and were down to their final strike before the Vols hit a game-tying home run. Vanderbilt eventually lost in 12 innings. Saturday's game was non-competitive, as Tennessee won 17-1 in seven innings, and on Sunday, the Commodores faced a nine-run deficit early and chipped away slightly before ultimately losing, 10-5.

"I'm not ever going to get to a point where I lose believability in these kids," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. "I enjoy being around them. They work hard. ... We had our opportunity Friday night, and we lost it, but the last few days, with the exception of the last part of this game, we weren't a match for them."

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Pitching struggles outside Holton

Carter Holton returned to his normal Friday night slot in the rotation after failing to get out of the first inning against South Carolina. Holton showed he was healthy and back to his usual self with six inning of one-run ball.

Things didn't go so well for the rest of the rotation. Hunter Owen skipped his usual Saturday start for the second straight week. Starting in his place, Bryce Cunningham couldn't escape the first inning and gave up nine runs after allowing nine straight batters to reach with two outs.

On Sunday, Devin Futrell gave up seven runs in 4⅓ innings, though five of those runs were unearned. Futrell didn't walk anyone, but he gave up four extra-base hits, including two doubles and two homers.

It was also a rough series for the bullpen. Left-handers Ryan Ginther and JD Thompson and righty Thomas Schultz were the lone relievers who pitched scoreless outings. Closer Nick Maldonado gave up three home runs Friday, two in the ninth inning to tie the game as well as the walk-off homer in the 12th. Sam Hliboki and Colton Regen gave up four runs apiece Saturday. On Sunday, Patrick Reilly gave up two runs in 1⅔ innings and Greysen Carter gave up one run in one inning.

Corbin said Owen was available Sunday but only in the right situation. He said he expected Owen to be healthy for next week's series against Kentucky but was unsure if he would return to the rotation.

Bats go cold

Tennessee was billed as having one of the top pitching staffs in the SEC coming into the season, and while things have been up and down this season, the Vols showed the amount of talent they have. Vanderbilt scored just six runs all weekend off Tennessee's starters − three off Andrew Lindsey, two off Drew Beam and one off Chase Dollander.

The Commodores also couldn't touch Chase Burns, a starter-turned-reliever who shut down Friday's game in extra innings with seven strikeouts in three innings. He also threw a scoreless inning Sunday.

Enrique Bradfield Jr. didn't get on base in the series until the seventh inning of the third game. He did hit two singles in the final game.

RJ Schreck, who hit a two-run single in the first game and a home run in the second game while also collecting two hits Sunday, provided a majority of the offensive production. Matthew Polk also moved up to second in the order after a 3-for-3 performance Friday. Jonathan Vastine also collected three hits Friday. Davis Diaz and Jack Bulger hit home runs Sunday.

"Offensively, it was a struggle for sure," said Corbin. "Their pitching kept us down, you gotta give them credit. Certainly Burns was a factor in two games. Offensively, I thought they swung the bats really well. They were on the barrel a lot, 27 runs in two games, you can call it what you want. That's good hitting, our pitching is OK."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tim Corbin explains how Vanderbilt baseball was 'no match' for Tennessee