The odds were stacked against the Tennessee baseball team before the bus even started.

It was a mid-week game away from Lindsey Nelson Stadium. That spells trouble for the Vols.

UT hit the road to Winchester to take on Middle Tennessee State University and dropped a 13-6 decision Tuesday night.

Nothing surprising there.

So far this season, the Vols (22-14) have lost mid-week road games at Lipscomb, at Tennessee Tech, at ETSU and now against MTSU. Their only mid-week road victory came at Louisville.

What made this one especially tough for first-year UT coach Todd Raleigh to take was the 5-0 lead that was squandered.

Junior third baseman Cody Brown hit a grand slam in the third to give the Vols a 5-0 cushion.

It wasn’t nearly enough.

MTSU (19-14-1) got to starter Steve Crnkovich for three runs in the third.

DJ Lefler relieved Crnkovich after a leadoff walk in the fourth and recorded three outs on two pitches — a double play and a pop out to second. Lefler’s pitch count grew dramatically in the fifth.

The Blue Raiders batted around and scored six runs on six hits against Lefler (1-1), including a two-run homer by Blake McDade (2-for-6, three RBIs).

MTSU was just finding its rhythm and added two solo homers to start the sixth against UT reliever Zane Stone. Tyler Burnett (3-for-4) hit the first and former South-Doyle High School standout Bryce Brentz added the second.

For Brentz, it was his 11th home run of the season and provided MTSU with an 11-5 lead.

Rawley Bishop got his 9th of the season one inning later against Joey Rosas, a two-out, solo shot to left field.

UT managed seven hits and committed three errors, including two by junior shortstop Danny Lima.

Yan Gomes and Brown each went 2-for-4 for the Vols.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.