Dylan Dreiling hit his third home run in three games and had three RBIs, as Zander Sechrist gave up just one run in 5.1 innings. Aaron Combs’ three ninth-inning Ks helped Tennessee fend off Texas A&M for a 6-5 win and the program’s first ever National Championship.
Tennessee needed a quality start from Sechrist, its senior, former midweek starter, and in the biggest game of his career, he delivered. He sat A&M down in order in the first, then gave up a single in the second but got three-straight outs after that in the second.
He found a bit of trouble in the third: nobody could field an infield hit from nine-hole hitter Travis Chestnut, and Stark compounded the problem with a throwing error that allowed Chestnut to get to second. He stole third, and the next guy brought him home with a base hit. Another base hit followed, but Sechrist got out of the jam thanks to a beautiful Christian Moore double play.
After that — he gave up a one-out walk in the fourth but struck out one of the next two outs, struck out the side in the fifth and K’d the first man but gave up a single and Vitello went to the bullpen to get Nate Snead. But Sechrist’s final outing as a Vol was a gem: 5.1 IP, 6H, 1ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024You have officially entered, the Zander Zone.
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While Zander was doing his thing, the offense put up some early runs. Christian Moore took the third pitch of the Vols’ first at bat — a ball that was high and inside — out of the park for his 34th home run of the season.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 24, 2024C-Mo came to play! Vols strike first!
https://t.co/57mSIippEi (ESPN) #GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatTAMU pic.twitter.com/D9J1luzr5e
Burke followed with a single and an out later Dreiling walked, but A&M starter Justin Lamkin got the final two outs to strand two Vols on base.
Lamkin issued a two-out walk in the second but got out of the inning with a Moore foul, fly-ball out.
After the Aggies tied the game in the top of the third, the bats answered with two runs to take back the lead. Burke hit Tennessee’s second extra-base hit in the form of a lead-off double, and Amick grounded out but moved Burke to third in the process. Dreiling brought him home with a sac fly four pitches later.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024B3 | Vols have regained the lead thanks to a Dylan Dreiling sac fly to score Burke!
Back-to-back two out hits from Ensley and KT have forced a pitching change for the Aggies. Stewart coming on to face Dean Curley with two on and two outs.
2-1 Vols#GBO // #OTH // #MCWS //… pic.twitter.com/keQEDlNmEi
Two-straight singles from Hunter Ensley and Kavares Tears put two on with two outs.
Texas A&M pulled Lamkin for Josh Stewart, which was always the plan, though they would have probably would have liked for Lamkin to go a little deeper in the game. Curley ripped the third pitch he saw into left and plated Ensley but tried to stretch the single into a double and got thrown out to end the third. Four hits, two runs and the Vols led 3-1.
Stewart sat the Tennessee lineup down in order in the fourth and then allowed a double in the fifth and the sixth but kept the Vols scoreless. Snead worked around a walk and a single in the T7 but threw up the fourth consecutive zero for the defense.
UT’s bats made literal and figurative noise in the bottom half of the inning when Billy Amick hit a two-out double, and Dreiling hit one out of the park just over the fence in right.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024WHO ELSE?!?!
MR. CLUTCH!!
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Ensley took the first pitch he saw to left for a single, then Tears doubled and Ensley made the slide of the year (he also had an amazing slide at home in the first game against Evansville) to score from first.
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) June 25, 2024WHAT. A. SLIDE.
6-1 Tennessee pic.twitter.com/BqDlImv9sR
Ensley’s slide wound up being the difference in the game, as A&M scored two in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Snead, Dylan Loy and Kirby Connell all pitched the eighth, with Loy giving up two runs and Connell getting the final two outs of the inning via strikeout.
Clinging to a three-run lead, Vitello went to Aaron Combs in the ninth, even though he threw 63 pitches yesterday. And of course, the Aggies didn’t go quietly. A lead-off double, a wild pitch and a single later and the lead was down to two. The man on first stole second, advanced to third on a balk and reached home on a wild pitch that put Texas A&M within one run. Combs struck out the final hitter of the game and delivered Tennessee its first National Championship. All three outs in the ninth came via Combs’ Ks.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024The moment we’ve all been waiting for!
The Vols are dogpiling in Omaha! pic.twitter.com/28F8MXu14l
Dreiling became the first player ever to hit a home run in all three CWS final games, and all three were two-run HRs in the seventh inning. He won the College World Series Most Outstanding Player Award as he went 7-12 with the three HRs and seven RBIs in the series.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024Tony Vitello.
That's all you can say. pic.twitter.com/gg3He7BbNZ
