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Only four teams remained in the SEC Tournament heading into Saturday’s action, with two spots in the Championship game up for grabs.
South Carolina and LSU clashed once again after the Tigers escaped with a narrow 11-10 victory on Thursday. Then, Vanderbilt and top-seeded Tennessee faced off for the one remaining spot in the title game.
Here’s a look at each contest as it unfolded.
May 25 SEC Tournament Schedule
No. 11 LSU def. No. 10 South Carolina, 12-11
No. 1 Tennessee def. No. 8 Vanderbilt, 6-4
LSU 12, South Carolina 11
The rematch between the Tigers and the Gamecocks was another high-scoring game that ended up with LSU pulling off an improbable comeback and escaping with a victory.
The contest initially appeared to be getting out of hand early, as the Gamecocks jumped out to a dominant 8-0 lead after the top of the fourth inning. Their strong start contained a three-run homer from catcher Dalton Reeves as well as RBI singles from junior Cole Messina and infielder Parker Noland.
However, LSU responded with a six-run fourth inning to stay within striking distance. After South Carolina pushed the team’s lead to 10-6 with a run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, the Tigers answered once again.
LSU scored three combined runs in the sixth and seventh innings due to solo home runs from sophomore Jared Jones and junior infielder Michael Braswell. Freshman Ashton Larson drove in the third run with a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers were finally able to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning due to a wild sequence of events. After a leadoff double, sophomore Paxton Kling was inserted as a pinch-runner. Kling eventually scored off a throwing error by South Carolina as catcher Alex Milazzo attempted a bunt.
The Gamecocks briefly re-took the lead at the top of the 10th inning, although LSU finally clinched a victory following a walk-off two-run home run from freshman infielder Steven Milam.
The Tigers advanced to the title game and will attempt to win their first SEC Tournament since 2017.
Tennessee 6, Vanderbilt 4
After a thrilling win over
Mississippi State on Friday, the Volunteers built off their earlier momentum
and secured a spot in the title game by defeating Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Tennessee struck first, scoring two runs in the fourth inning after a throwing error and a sacrifice fly. It didn’t take long for Vanderbilt to retaliate, with the Commodores tying the game on a two-run home run from freshman Braden Holcomb.
The Volunteers were led by a strong performance on
the mound from left-handed pitcher Zander Sechrist, who racked up five
strikeouts in six innings while allowing the two earned runs.
Tennessee Baseball @Vol_Baseball
Stretch Time in Hoover.
Sechrist’s day is done after a stellar outing for the senior lefty! Marcus Phillips taking over on the mound.
Final Line for Zander:
6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 80 TP
Vols lead Vandy, 5-2#GBO // #OTH // #BeatVandy pic.twitter.com/7gK33LtNKV
Tennessee took a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning
after a sacrifice fly from sophomore Dalton Bargo as well as a two-run homer
from infielder Christian Moore.
Vanderbilt threatened to tie
the game in the bottom of the ninth inning after scoring once in the eighth, having
runners on first and second with no outs. However, the Commodores were only able to score one more run after a
game-ending flyout with a runner on third.
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