Tennessee Baseball Blows Lead, Drops Series Finale At Georgia In Heartbreaking Fashion

Tennessee's bullpen struggles and late Georgia heroics cost the Vols in the series finale.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 8:33pm

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Tennessee baseball blew an early 5-0 lead as Georgia scored five runs in the seventh inning to rally and win the series finale 8-7 on Sunday. The Vols got a strong start from Evan Blanco but a controversial pitching change and late-game Georgia heroics proved too much to overcome.

Why it matters

This loss is a tough blow for Tennessee baseball as they look to build momentum in SEC play. Blowing big leads and struggling in the bullpen are issues the Vols will need to address going forward if they want to compete for a conference title.

The details

Tennessee jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to clutch two-out hitting in the first inning and a Henry Ford home run in the third. Starter Evan Blanco was dominant early but ran into trouble in the later innings. The Vols added an insurance run in the seventh but Georgia rallied for five runs in the bottom half, capped by a three-run homer from Bryce Calloway off of reliever Brayden Krenzel. Tennessee fought back in the ninth but had a potential go-ahead homer robbed at the wall.

  • Tennessee scored five runs in the first three innings.
  • Georgia scored five runs in the seventh inning to take the lead.
  • Tennessee scored a run in the top of the seventh to make it 6-3.
  • Blake Grimmer hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to cut Georgia's lead to one.
  • The game was played on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The players

Evan Blanco

The Virginia transfer started for Tennessee and pitched 5.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 walks and a hit batter while striking out 5.

Brayden Krenzel

The Tennessee reliever struggled in the seventh inning, allowing 4 runs on 1 hit and 2 walks without recording an out.

Bryce Calloway

The Georgia designated hitter hit a go-ahead 3-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Bulldogs the lead.

Blake Grimmer

The Tennessee outfielder hit a solo homer in the ninth inning to cut Georgia's lead to one run.

Josh Elander

The Tennessee head coach made the controversial decision to leave Brayden Krenzel in the game in the seventh inning, which proved costly.

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What they’re saying

“We just couldn't hold the lead. That's a tough one to swallow, but we'll learn from it and get back to work.”

— Josh Elander, Tennessee Head Coach

What’s next

Tennessee will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they host Eastern Kentucky at home. They then face Missouri in a weekend SEC series.

The takeaway

This heartbreaking loss highlights the importance of maintaining leads and getting consistent bullpen performance for Tennessee baseball. The Vols will need to shore up those areas if they want to compete for an SEC title this season.