What went wrong for No. 1 Tennessee baseball at Kentucky in first series loss of season

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Coach Tony Vitello felt it could be good for Tennessee baseball to learn it wasn't invincible during its series against Auburn.

The Vols got the biggest reminder yet of their invincibility a week after Vitello's comment.

No. 1 Tennessee (42-6, 20-4 SEC) dropped its first series of the year, losing the first two games at Kentucky (26-21, 9-15) before winning the seven-inning finale 7-2 on Saturday.

"We had this aura that we were the invincible team," first baseman Luc Lipcius said. "We were just going to come in and we were going to beat you. Now, we know we do actually have to try.

"I think it is really good for us going down the stretch that we can’t take anything for granted.”

UT had won all 10 series this season and 10 straight road series dating back to a 2019 series at Arkansas.

“I think our guys have set the standards kind of higher and that is what we are living by," Vitello said. "They know we have to do better if we want to continue to achieve as May goes on.”

How Tennessee lost the series

Tennessee lost back-to-back games to open the series. The Vols lost 3-2 in 13 innings Thursday and 5-2 in the second game, which started Friday but concluded Saturday after an eighth-inning postponement due to rain.

"It was almost like we let off the gas a little bit," Lipcius said. "We didn’t really play like ourselves. I think it will light the fire under us to always play our best.”

Tennessee had its lowest-scoring series of the season, totaling 11 runs. The Vols averaged 9.5 runs per game this season and 7.6 in SEC play.

Vitello bemoaned baserunning miscues, which included three double plays in the finale and Seth Stephenson getting picked off in the first inning Thursday.

“At some point in the year, you have to have your worst weekend or your weekend where you don’t play your best I should say," Vitello said.

Why Tennessee didn't find a steady offensive groove

Lipcius struck out looking with the bases loaded to end the first inning Thursday, a bad start to what proved to be a miserable first two games offensively. The Vols struggled to string together hits and did not execute with runners on base.

UT left the bases loaded in each of the first three innings of the opener among its season-high 15 runners left on base.

"If you are going to have at-bats that are semi-worthless or don’t produce anything for your team or you give up outs on the bases," Vitello said, "then all of a sudden you are throwing out of whack what is going on on the scoreboard."

Tennessee finished Thursday with one hit in its final 42 at-bats, two runs despite 12 walks and no extra-base hits. The Vols had five hits in each of the first two games and only did damage in the second game with back-to-back fourth-inning doubles to score a pair of runs.

Second baseman Jorel Ortega went 4-for-11 in the first two games, while the rest of the Vols went 6-for-63.

“I think it was just guys getting outside themselves," Vitello said. "Being in a hurry at the plate or on the bases. Something to learn from for sure.”

How Tennessee prevented a sweep

Tennessee hit a pair of homers in the finale Saturday, its only two of the series. Lipcius had the game-winning hit, a chopper with the infield in that bounced over the outstretched glove of UK first baseman Jacob Plastiak.

“I know it was a really down weekend for us so the fact we can scrape away one is really good," Lipcius said.

Jordan Beck provided insurance with a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh. Cortland Lawson hit UT's first homer of the series when he hit a fifth-inning solo shot.

Drew Beam gave UT a competitive start, allowing one earned run on six hits in four innings. Redmond Walsh and Trey Lipscomb made critical plays in the fifth in a 2-2 game. Lipscomb picked a throw from catcher Evan Russell that could have hopped into left field on a stolen base.

Walsh struck out shortstop Ryan Ritter looking with the runner at third to end the inning.

“I think it is going to help us learn to bounce back a little better," Walsh said. "I thought we should have had a little better bounce back (Friday). Once you get to the tournament, it is two in a row and you are done.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee baseball lost first series of the season at Kentucky