Tennessee defeated Mississippi State 6-5 in a thrilling baseball game to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinal against Vanderbilt. The game saw multiple lead changes, with Tennessee initially leading 3-0 before Mississippi State took a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Dakota Jordan. Tennessee tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh inning and took the lead in the eighth inning with a solo home run by Blake Burke. Hunter Ensley contributed significantly with multiple hits. Tennessee held on to win the game, thanks in part to strong pitching from Andrew Behnke and Marcus Phillips, and faced Vanderbilt in the semifinal, where they secured a 6-4 victory. Tennessee's Christian Moore hit a two-run homer, and the team displayed strong pitching to maintain their lead. The Vols will now play LSU in the SEC Tournament Championship.
They're playing Rocky Top in Hoover tonight. What a run for @Vol_Baseball ➡️ Regular season champs ➡️ SEC Tournament champs ➡️ Two SEC titles in three years ➡️ Top-ranked team in BA NCAA Top 25 https://t.co/NF1HrtOzl6
Tennessee wins the SEC regular season and postseason baseball tourney, will be the number one seed in the NCAA tourney. Tony Vitello has built a monster in Knoxville, is this the year the Vols win the title? I think so. Go Big Orange.
Saturday’s hero Steven Milam just cut Tennessee lead to 4-2 with 1 out in last of 9th with RBI ground rule 2B to left. Mac Bingham reaches on E-5, Milam scores. And it’s 4-3.
LSU going to a lefty to face Blake Burke with one out, none on, Top9 #Vols 4, LSU 1
Quick inning for Kirby Connell. LSU down in order. #Vols 4, LSU 1, heading Top8
LSU brings lefty Justin Loer out of the pen to face Kavares Tears. He falls behind 3-0, but comes back and catches Tears looking on a beautiful pitch on or near the black of the outside corner. Tennessee strands two, but gets one big run. #Vols 4, LSU 1, heading Bottom7
LSU killer Hunter Ensley strikes again Two-out RBI single gives #Vols a 4-1 lead, Top7 Ensley 4-for-4 today
Burke singles, Amick battles back for a walk. Two on, one out for Tennessee, Top7
Dylan Loy's day is done. And what a day it was for the freshman from Knoxville-area Pigeon Forge. Sophomore lefty Andrew Behnke coming out of the pen. #Vols 3, LSU 1, Bottom6 Two outs, runner on first, Hayden Travinski at the plate.
Nothing from the bottom third of Tennessee's lineup against the good side of Thatcher Hurd in the top of the sixth. #Vols 3, LSU 1, heading Bottom6
Hunter Ensley stays hot, singles to right. Runners on the corners, two outs, Tears to the plate, Top5
Samuel Dutton gets Christian Moore to groundout and leave the bases loaded, Top4. Could be a big moment in the game. We'll see. #Vols 3, LSU 1, heading Bottom4
Great AB from Hunter Ensley, who works it full and singles to right field to start the fourth.
Freshman lefty Dylan Loy gets a strikeout to strand two and keep LSU off the board in the third. #Vols 3, LSU 1, heading Top4
With two outs... Christian Moore down 0-2, singles Blake Burke down 0-2, walks Billy Amick three-run homer The top of that Tennessee lineup is so good.
Billy Amick has left the yard. Three-run homer gives #Vols a 3-1 lead over LSU, Top3
Somebody's car may have just taken some damage. LSU's Jared Jones sends one 471 feet into the parking lot! ⚾️💣 https://t.co/yo4c7jH71Q
Jared Jones hit an absolute MOON SHOT to put @LSUbaseball up 1-0 💥 https://t.co/srGQcXWnfa
The good news is Tennessee is stacking quality ABs. The bad news is the Vols aren't getting results out of them. But more good news that it's early. LSU 1, #Vols 0, heading Bottom2
LSU’s Jared Jones just hit one 471 feet and those cars might, uh, not be so safe (🎥 @LSUbaseball) https://t.co/7ky4lIy04a
#Vols' Hunter Ensley ends a 10-pitch AB with a double to center field ... aided by the defense, but still.
Jared Jones hits a 471 ft tank into the parking lot for LSU https://t.co/c5mKy56Y39
Jared Jones hit that ball 471 feet against a dude who will be taken in the first round next summer. So, yeah. The only run of the first inning was a LOUD one. LSU 1, #Vols 0, heading Top2
Jared Jones hit that ball 471 feet against a dude who will be taken in the first-round next summer. So, yeah.
Jared Jones has left the yard. Two-strike, two-out solo shot gives LSU a 1-0 lead over Tennessee, Bottom1
Nate Ackenhausen strikes out the vaunted top of Tennessee's lineup in order in the top of the first. Talk about something you almost never see. #Vols 0, LSU 0, heading Bottom1
#Vols' Christian Moore fouls off four Nate Ackenhausen pitches but ultimately goes down swinging on a slider to open the game.
TENNESSEE IS SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOUND 🍊 @Vol_Baseball https://t.co/fDN9xGcu9a
Tennessee beats Vanderbilt 6-4 to reach tomorrow’s SEC Tournament final against LSU. Nice win for Vols, who if they didn’t already, look a likely No. 1 overall seed when brackets are announced Monday. Vandy leaves Hoover a lot better than when it got there.
Tennessee beats Vanderbilt 6-4 and they will play LSU tomorrow in the SEC Tournament Championship. Jay Johnson will not be eligible to coach tomorrow after getting ejected today according to the SEC broadcast.
Sac fly gets Vandy within 6-4 of Tennessee, Bottom9 Big second out, though. Runner on third. Two outs.
Another single for Vandy. Two on, no outs, Bottom9 #Vols 6, Dores 3
#Vols 6, Vandy 3, heading Bottom9 Dores starting to show some emotion
How 'bout that? Marcus Phillips got out of it. Fields a comebacker, tosses to first to leave the bases loaded. #Vols 6, Vandy 3, heading Top9
Jonathan Vastine sac fly gets Vandy within 6-3 of Tennessee, Bottom8 Run-for-an-out a good trade there for the #Vols.
Tennessee 6, #Vols 2, heading Bottom8 Missed chance for Tennessee to essentially end the game, but one insurance run is much better than none.
Two-out, two-strike wild pitch scores a run and gives Tennessee a 6-2 lead over Vandy, Top8 Corbin has to be losing his mind.
Dean Curley sac bunt, and #Vols have two in scoring position with one out for Christian Moore. Tennessee 5, Vandy 2, Top8
Marcus Phillips taking the mound for Tennessee. #Vols 5, Vandy 2, Bottom7
Mostly quiet top of the seventh for Tennessee. #Vols 5, Vandy 2, heading Bottom7
Sechrist retires the heart of Vandy's lineup in order in the sixth. #Vols 5, Vandy 2, heading Top7
Christian Moore has left the yard. Two-run homer over the center field wall gives #Vols a 5-2 lead, Top6 He wasn't gonna leave Hoover without some fireworks.
Dalton Bargo sac fly gives #Vols a 3-2 lead, Top6 There ya go. Efficiency. Really good AB.
Cannon Peebles singles, so #Vols again runners on the corners and no outs, Top6 A chance to make it right.
Second time today that Moore and Burke got on with no outs and Tennessee got nothing out of it. Just not good baseball. Can't do that. #Vols 2, Vandy 0, heading Bottom5
Tough break there for Vandy. Colin Barczi lined into a 3u double play to end the fourth. #Vols 2, Vandy 0, heading Top5
Cannon Peebles sac fly gives the #Vols a 2-0 lead over Vandy, Top4
Kavares Tears smokes a single into center field, and the #Vols have a 1-0 lead and runners on the corners, no outs, Top4
Throwing error on Vandy SS Jonathan Vastine gives #Vols a 1-0 lead over Vandy, Top4
#Vols' Dylan Dreiling doubles to start the fourth.
Whole lotta nothin' for the top of Tennessee's lineup in the top of the third. Amick hit it pretty hard, FWIW. #Vols 0, Vandy 0, heading Bottom3
Dalton Bargo with a two-out single, but Ariel Antigua goes down swinging to quickly extinguish that little fire. #Vols 0, Vandy 0, heading Bottom2
BASEBALL FINAL IN HOOVER: No. 1 Tennessee 6, No. 15 Mississippi State 5. Not the most well-played baseball game, but an exciting one. #Vols will play Vandy in an SEC Tournament semifinal on Saturday around 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Guessing Zander Sechrist and ... ??? on the mound.
Really good battle there between Tyler Davis and Cannon Peebles, and Davis wins it with a strikeout. #Vols 6, MissState 5, heading Bottom9
Andrew Behnke, ladies and gentlemen. What an inning from the young lefty. #Vols 6, MissState 5, heading Top9
State goes down in order in the 8th. Vols lead 6-5 headed to the 9th.
#Vols 6, MissState 5, heading Bottom8
Blake Burke has left the yard. Solo homer gives Tennessee a 6-5 lead over MissState, Top8
Blake Burke goes yard to open the 8th against Tyler Davis, putting Tennessee ahead 6-5.
#Vols 5, MissState 5, heading Bottom7
Tennessee scores two on a fielder's choice and error. Really good base runner from Dean Curley. #Vols 5, State 5, Top7
#Vols' Hunter Ensley gets an infield single to open the seventh.
Aaron Combs and his gross breaking stuff worked around a leadoff double in a scoreless sixth, but Tennessee still with lots of work to do. MissState 5, #Vols 3, heading Top7
Tennessee strands two more runners. Stranded 10 through six innings. That's disgusting. MissState 5, #Vols 3, heading Bottom6
Two-run Dakota Jordan single gives MissState a 5-3 lead over Tennessee, Bottom5
Drew Beam walks in a run. Don't say that often. Wow. #Vols 3, MissState 1, Bottom5 Two outs, bases loaded. Bulldogs' dugout is really intense right now. Huge swing point in this game coming up.
Another good-looking swing from Reese Chapman, but it was an F8. Tennessee's lead is bigger than it was, though. #Vols 3, MissState 0, heading Bottom5
Mid 5th: Tennessee leads 3-0. Vols have scored in each of the last three innings. Meanwhile, State is still searching for its first hit.
Dean Curley two-out RBI single gives #Vols a 3-0 lead over MissState, Top5
Really good AB from Hunter Ensley. Works back into the count, works a one-out walk, Top5
#Vols double steal, Moore thrown out at second, but State happy to trade an out for a run, and Chapman scores Tennessee up 2-0 on State, Top4
Drew Beam cruising right along. #Vols 1, MissState 0, heading Top4
Kavares Tears sac fly gives #Vols a 1-0 lead over MissState, Top3
Hunter Ensley singles to left, but too sharply to send Blake Burke home. Bases loaded, one out, Top3
Four left on base through two for Tennessee. So far it's been that kinda party. #Vols 0, MissState 0, heading Bottom2