The Tennessee Vols managed to finally get the bats going up in Lexington on Sunday. After managing just two runs in each of their lopsided losses to start the series, the offense showed up in a big way in the series finale.

Levi Clark knocked in five runs and slugged two home runs, including a three-run shot in the top of the ninth for the winning margin.

And thanks to a bullpen that is currently a mess, they’d need every single one of those runs. Despite leading 7-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Tennessee found themselves in a dogfight by the end. The Vols’ bullpen allowed eight runs in the final three innings of the win, and Josh Elander acknowledged, despite the wild win and the offensive outburst, that the bullpen needs to be better moving forward.

Josh Elander mentions bullpen needing to be better after Vols’ 10-9 win over Kentucky

“Just a wild game all the way around, but great job by our offense. Bunch of punches being thrown back and forth. You don’t really draw it up where you give up eight runs in the last three innings and still find a way to get out.

“But, again, a Sunday win. We’ll take it any way we can get it, salvage the weekend, and I liked how our offense competed. They hit some balls out of the ballpark. We need to be better out of the bullpen, but a great win for our guys to end the weekend.”

The Vols’ once-reliable bullpen ace, freshman Cam Appenzeller, has been anything but lately. On Sunday, he allowed 4 earned runs on 4 hits and a hit batter in 0.2 innings, which opened the door for the Wildcats to get back into the game. He’s allowed four or more earned runs in his last three appearances in SEC games.

Bo Rhudy also allowed 4 earned over 1.2 innings, and Brandon Arvidson was summoned to get the last two outs in the ninth. Fortunately for the Vols, he was able to induce a fly ball to right field to end it and send Tennessee home a winner.

The struggles of the bullpen were evident on Saturday in an ugly 12-2 loss, when three pitchers combined to allow six earned runs over a two-inning period. It was eight over three innings on Sunday.

If Tennessee can’t find a way to close out games better, then the rest of the season is going to be ugly. Because despite the late-inning outburst, Tennessee isn’t going to score enough this year to do offset weekly meltdowns in the late innings.