Tennessee beats LSU 4-3, wins SEC Baseball Tournament Championship

Billy Amick got a day off of third base and played DH against Vandy yesterday, as he’d been hitless in Hoover so far. He broke the hitless streak and ended the day 1-4, though he made good contact on a few of his other at bats.

Today, though, Amick broke another streak — 13 games without a home run — as he hit a 3-run dinger that ended up providing three of UT’s eventual four runs scored. Sophomore AJ Russell and freshman Dylan Loy pitched 5.2 innings of one-run ball. Loy threw a career-high 78 pitches in 4.2 IP (career high), and struck out five (career high), and got his third win of the year in the 4-3, SEC Championship game win against LSU.

Tigers’ starter Nate Ackenhausen had UT’s number through most of three innings, striking out the side in the first and striking out two of three in the second. He ended up throwing 2.2 innings, struck out six and didn’t allow a run.

LSU took the lead in the B1 when the only hit Russell gave up went for a Jared Jones home run. Otherwise, the freshman’s short outing went well — just the one run, no BBs and 10 of 13 pitches for strikes.

After falling behind 1-0 early, Tennessee powered back with the long-awaited, three-run homerun off the barrel of Billy Amick after Christian Moore hit a two-out single and Blake Burke subsequently worked a full-count walk.

Tennessee loaded the bases in the top of the fourth, but couldn’t find any added insurance. Going a little further, the Vols didn’t plate another run through the seventh, though they left five runners stranded in innings 4-6.

After Loy worked through two-out traffic in the third, as he allowed a walk and a double but kept the Tigers scoreless with an inning-ending strikeout. Then, he sat the LSU batters down in order in the fourth and fifth frames.

LSU’s Thatcher Hurd returned the favor in the top of the sixth, when he struck out two and faced the minimum three batters.

UT got into some trouble in the B6 when Loy walked the lead-off man but struck out the next man and got a ground-ball out from Cal Stark. Tony Vitello chose to take Loy out for Andrew Behnke, but Behnke walked two and got pulled in favor of Kirby Connell, who came in with the bases loaded and two outs. But it was Cal Stark who ended the inning, after another back pick caught LSU’s hero from yesterday, Steven Milam, leaning and Burke applied the tag. A perk of having a left-handed first baseman:

In the T7, Tennessee got what would end up being a game-deciding insurance run when Hurd gave up a one-out single to Burke and a walk to Billy Amick, who earned his base with a seven-pitch at bat. After a Dreiling line went for the frame’s second out, Hunter Ensley singled up the middle and scored Burke from second.

Tears struck out looking to end the inning and strand two runners, but the Vols extended their lead to 4-1.

Both teams went down in order in the eighth, and Tennessee managed a hit in the T9 but couldn’t bring him home.

LSU didn’t go down without some scratching and clawing, as a one-out double chased Connell in favor of Aaron Combs. Combs immediately allowed a run-scoring double to Milan, Billy Amick made a throwing error, which allowed Mac Bingham to reach second and scored Milam.

After all that — Combs locked in and got the last two outs via swinging Ks on 10 pitches.

Blake Burke went 9-17 in Hoover and won the tournament MVP. Both he and Kavares Tears were named to the All-SEC Tournament team.

In Vitello’s seven years, his teams have now advanced to at least the regionals five times, won the SEC regular-season three times, won the regular season SEC title and tournament championship in a single season twice, and won at least 40 games six times — all with most of the 2020 season mostly canceled due to COVID.

Today’s win marked the Vols’ fifth SEC Tournament crown and their second in three seasons. It also means Tennessee will likely land the No. 1 overall seed during the selection show tomorrow. Since national seeding was introduced in 1999, only one overall No. 1 seed has won the CWS — Miami in that ‘99 season.

Before the CWS, Tennessee will host a regional (and hopefully a super regional), with the regional games starting Friday, May 31st.