Tennessee Baseball: Blown 4-0 Lead a Fitting End to Vols Season

Tennessee Baseball blew a 4-0 lead to the LSU Tigers in the SEC Tournament to lose 5-4 after a walk-off hit. The loss ended the Volunteers’ season.

After all the late-inning collapses on the season, it only made sense that the Tennessee Vols would end their baseball season in such a way.

Going into the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s first round of the SEC Tournament, it looked like the No. 12 seed team from Knoxville would shock the Top 10 ranked LSU Tigers after Chris Hall, Tyler Schultz, Max Bartlett, and Jordan Rodgers helped them spot a 4-0 lead.

But Dave Serrano decided to leave in freshman Will Nealy one inning too long, and after he gave up a run in the seventh, he was pulled. Unfortunately, Andy Cox gave up two more runs.

And with the Vols clinging to a 4-3 lead all the way into the bottom of the ninth, Hunter Martin helped to complete the failure of the Tennessee bullpen by allowing two runs and a walk-off hit, costing his team’s season.

Tennessee lost 5-4 in another choke job to likely finish the year 29-28, and their season might not be the only thing that’s finished.

Dave Serrano could be gone now as well after this loss. In five years, he has massively failed to live up to expectations or accomplish anywhere near what he accomplished when he was at his other schools.

Tennessee had backed into the SEC Tournament with two lucky wins against the Georgia Bulldogs to close out the year and the Auburn Tigers collapsing at one point, but midway through this game they gave fans a tease that they just might belong.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long, and Tennessee baseball is right back in the cellar, which is where it’s been since Rod Delmonico was fired…and where it was before he was hired.