The Tennessee Volunteers aren’t done quite yet in Hoover.
The Vols rallied from a 5-3 deficit to eliminate the Mississippi State Bulldogs 6-5 on Friday night in an elimination game in the SEC tournament. Drew Beam pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 5 earned runs with 4 strikeouts on 84 pitches. Aaron Combs picked up the win. Blake Burke reached in all five appearances with a game-high 3 hits, including the game-winning solo home run.
The Vols scrapped their way out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning. A sac fly, a double steal, and an RBI single got UT on the board with single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, respectively.
But it was in the fifth where the game took a turn for the surreal. With two outs, two runners on base, and a 2-2 count, Beam appeared to have gotten an inning-ending swinging strike on the State batter. However, it Stark couldn’t hold the ball (while also starting to fist pump in celebration) and the batter got another chance. Beam then appeared to throw a strike on the next pitch, but it was called a ball. A close full count pitch led to a walk.
Beam would go on to walk in a run followed by a two-run single to tie the game. Combs then allowed a single to State’s Dakota Jordan – his first hit in 16 at bats in the tourney – that drove in runs four and five. From a dropped third strike to five straight two-out runs.
And, oh yeah, the teams got in each other’s faces and were yelling at each other during State’s run. It’s not clear exactly why – not even Burke or Beam could explain exactly when it started after the game – but players on both sides were screaming at each other, with Christian Moore dropping some colorful metaphors at the Bulldogs, several of whom came out of their dugout onto the field.
After cooler heads prevailed, the Vols drew even in the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, pinch hitter Cannon Peebles hit a tailor-made double play ground ball to short. However, the second baseman on the turn air mailed it to the dugout, and two runs scored. In the bottom of the inning, Peebles made a tremendous throw to catch David Mershon trying to steal and kill the Bulldogs’ rally.
Then, in the eighth, Burke pulled a high fastball over the wall in right center just over the outfielder’s glove for a 6-5 lead. From there, Andrew Behnke, Kirby Connell, and Nate Snead slammed the door with six straight outs to lock down the win.
The Vols play in the second semifinal against Vanderbilt, which is set to begin at 4:30 pm ET barring extra innings between South Carolina and LSU in the first matchup.