SEC Tournament: UTs 3-run sixth with CMo’s 28th home run, and a 6 IP, 2 R effort from Zander Sechrist take Vols to SEC Championship game with 6-4 win against the Vandy Boys

Zander Secrhist tossed a quality start of 6 IP, 2-run ball for his third win for the year, Christian Moore went 3-5 with two doubles and a two-run home run that reclaimed the lead for UT in the sixth and Marcus Phillips was a little erratic but earned his third save of the season in Tennessee’s 6-4 win over the Commodores that pits the Vols against LSU in the SEC Championship game tomorrow.

Moore kicked today’s game off with a rocket to right center for a stand-up double, and Blake Burke followed with a full-count walk off Vandy starter Ethan McElvain, who hadn’t pitched for six-ish weeks due to arm soreness according to the broadcast. But Tennessee couldn’t capitalize, as McElvain retired the next three batters — Billy Amick, Dylan Dreiling and Hunter Ensley — in order.

Vols’ starter Zander Sechrist worked through a lead-off single by striking out two of the next three hitters and getting Alan Espinal, who Tennessee’s had trouble with in recent meetings, to fly out and end the inning.

Vanderbilt brought in Brennan Seiber for McElvain in the second, and Seiber allowed a one-out single to Dalton Bargo, but struck out Cannon Peebles and Ariel Antigua after he got Kavares Tears to fly out prior to Bargo’s base knock.

In the bottom of the second, Sechrist followed his template from the first frame, as he gave up a base hit but struck out two Vanderbilt hitters and got the final out via a come-backer (the second one in the game so far) that hit Sechrist in the leg but stayed in the infield for Zander to make the easy toss to first for the final out.

Seiber got all three hitters at the top of Tennessee’s lineup out on ground balls on just 11 pitches to start the third, but Sechrist responded with another strikeout — his fifth of the game — and two fly-ball outs as both pitchers retired the opposing team’s hitters in order in the inning.

The Vols took a 1-0 lead in the T4 after Dreiling smashed a no-out double to left, and then Hunter Ensley made it to first thanks to a throwing error from the Vanderbilt shortstop. The error allowed Dreiling to make it from second to home and plate the game’s first run.

Tears singled next, and with runners on the corners and no outs, Peebles hit a sac fly to bring Ensley home.

Bargo flew out and Antigua got down 0-2 and battled off several foul balls before striking out for the second time in the game to end the top half of the inning. Still — Tennessee scored two runs, both unearned, with two hits and one man stranded.

Sechrist started the B4 at just 41 pitches, got the first out via fly ball but dolled out a full-count walk — his first BB of the game — to Espinal after. The next hitter lined a ball straight to Burke, who caught it and tagged first for the double play as Espinal was headed to second.

To start the fifth, the Commodores changed pitchers again, bringing in Luke Guth for Seiber to face the top of the Tennessee order. Moore led the inning off again with another double, but this one was more of a bloop to right that dropped down between Vandy defenders. Burke singled next for his seventh hit in 12 chances so far in the SEC Tournament. But once again, Amick hit a pop-fly to second for an out, Dreiling struck out and Ensley grounded out. Through five innings, the Vols had stranded six runners on base and were just 1-9 with RISP.

Vanderbilt tied the game in the bottom half of the fifth after another ball hit straight at Sechrist went up the middle for a no-out single that was followed by a two-run home run from the Commodores’ seven-hole hitter Braden Holcomb. Despite the second error of the season from Antigua, Sechrist got out of the frame without surrendering another run.

Tennessee began the T6 with runners on the corners and no outs after Tears smoked a ball past the first baseman into right field and Peebles followed with another single that put Tears at third. Bargo hit a deep fly ball to center that wasn’t quite deep enough for a home run but was long enough for a sac fly that put the Vols back on top, 3-2. After a fly-ball out from Dean Curley, who Vitello subbed in for Antigua, Christian Moore just flat-out crushed a ball to straight-away center for a 441-foot HR — the longest of any dinger hit in Hoover so far — that extended the Vols’ lead to 5-2.

Sechrist got two quick outs thanks in part to two terrific plays from Ensley in center and a diving grab from Dreiling in left.

Moore fielded a grounder to second to end the sixth with the three-run lead intact.

Marcus Phillips took over in the seventh, came out with his fastball sitting at 98-99 MPH — with an alleged triple-digit heater in there somewhere — , struck out the first two hitters and got a diving catch from Tears in right to end the T7. Phillips threw nine pitches, and eight went for strikes.

In the B8, Phillips gave up a lead-off triple on a ball that ripped down the right-field line, and Vanderbilt’s next man brought the runner home on a sac fly. After he struck out the next guy, Phillips gave up a double to RJ Austin, who subsequently stole third, a five-pitch walk to Espinal and a four-pitch walk to the next batter that loaded the bases and put the winning run at the plate. One could tell Phillips was struggling with his control, but Tony Vitello chose to leave him in, and Phillips got a ground ball that he fielded and tossed to Burke to end the frame.

Phillips came back out for the B9 and gave up two singles and tossed a passed ball to put two RISP for the Commodores. Vandy scored on a sac fly that happened in part due to the passed ball. But Phillips shut the door with a fly-ball out to end the game.

It’s the Vols vs. the Tigers for the SEC Championship tomorrow afternoon.