The No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks (41-12, 18-10 SEC) lost Game 1 of its three-game series against the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers (41-13, 16-12 SEC) 10-7 on Thursday night in Baum-Walker Stadium. Both teams' bats were hot. However, the Volunteers hit with considerably more power, as evidenced by their four homers; the Hogs didn't hit one.
As has become a recurring theme, Arkansas lost Game 1 because of a poor performance from its starting pitcher. Zach Root got the Game 1 start. He only lasted 3.2 innings, surrendering four earned runs and seven hits. When a team's starting pitchers often place it in such an early deficit, it's difficult to experience success, given that the offense too often has intense pressure on it to overcome such a deficit. Although the Hogs' elite bullpen is usually reliable, it allowed six runs in relief for Root. Therefore, as the series and remainder of the season progress, the bullpen will need to perform well as it typically does, given that Arkansas' starting pitching is in decline.
After the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks lost a hot-hitting battle to the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers in Game 1, many Hog fans expressed their displeasure with the team's performance on social media.
Arkansas Razorbacks baseball vs. Tennessee: Game 1 Social Media Reactions
Richard Davenport, an Arkansas Razorbacks recruiting reporter for Whole Hog Sports, wrote, "That was bad baseball there."
RCC, a Razorback fan, stated, "Terrible baseball. Coaching decisions weren't much better either."
Chris Cronice, a Hog fan, said, "Somebody needs to ask DVH if the game has passed him up all the younger coaches out coaches and out recruits him."
K Money, an Arkansas Razorbacks fan, contended that "Bad baseball is what we have been calling April and May for 3 years."
Jeff Davis, an Arkansas fan, was disgusted with the Hogs' performance: "Yep! Tony out coached us and had his team ready to play. Get within 1 run and bring in a pitcher that has barely pitched all year and then boot the ball around to give more runs away. Ugly!"
M Andrews, a Razorback fan, has noticed a sharp decline in Arkansas' performance since the team was given the top ranking.
RyanB, a Hog fan, has not had much faith in the Razorbacks from the beginning.
SEC Unfiltered highlighted when the Volunteers' Dean Curley's home run gave Tennessee a four-point lead.
SamVanCalipari, an Arkansas fan, expressed his displeasure with the team's pitching.
Cory Stewart, an Arkansas Razorbacks fan, shared a historical note: "Tonight was just the 6th game in the DVH era in which both teams had at least 15 hits. Arkansas is 2-4 in those games."