Dan Fleser
Whenever Nic McCay took a stroll behind the pitcher’s mound on Saturday night, Kentucky’s starter was walking straight out of my memory.
His routine called to mind Al Hrabosky, a former St. Louis reliever whose nickname was “the Mad Hungarian.” He led the National League in saves in 1975 and became a Cardinals fan favorite for a dramatic routine in which he would turn his back to home plate and walk toward second base. He would pause there, rub the baseball in his hands, thrush it back into his glove and stalk back up on the mound. While I wasn’t a Cardinals fan, Hrabosky’s act was hard to forget. It was great theatre in a sport that typically didn’t offer much.
While less animated, McCay’s pitches were plenty maddening to the Vols, who struck out 12 times in 7.2 innings against him in a 4-1 loss. The right-hander was charged with one unearned run and retired the side in order four times.
Tennessee’s struggles carried over to Sunday and an 8-2 loss. Left-hander Ben Cleaver followed McCay’s act, if not his footsteps, by allowing just a two-run homer in seven innings and struck out seven more batters.
“Over-swinging and not making adjustments in a very bad theme of swinging at pitches that were not in the zone,” was how UT coach Tony Vitello summed up the Vols’ hitting woes. “And taking some pitches that appeared to be in the heart of the zone, from where I was standing.”
The Vols’ hitting let them down this weekend. Their bats serve as their sword and shield. Without them, they’re vulnerable to less reliable aspects of their play.
For example, Kentucky stole 16 bases in its two victories while the Vols committed four errors. Half of the Wildcats’ runs on Saturday were unearned.
“I mean the vibe of the game or the mojo of the game kind of involves offense and defense,” Vitello said. “And for whatever reason, us not playing catch I think bled into a little bit of frustration at the plate.”
At this juncture, the Vols ought to put their collective memories to use. They don’t have to rewind 50 years as I did while watching McCay wear a path in the Lindsey Nelson Stadium turf. Just a quick trip back to last weekend would be constructive. In the final game of its showdown series at Ole Miss, the Vols committed four errors. Three of the Rebels’ runs were unearned. They also stole two bases.
Sound familiar?
The difference was UT kept hitting, winning the series’ decisive game, 10-8, by bashing four extra base hits (three home runs) and finally scoring three runs in the ninth inning.
“Last Sunday in Oxford was great because they didn’t blink, regardless of what was going on,” Vitello said. “So, if you can do it once, you should be able to do it again.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who has covered University of Tennessee athletics since 1988. He is a member of the Tennessee Sportswriters, U.S Basketball Writers and Greater Knoxville Sports Halls of Fame. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.