Late-game heroics give Tennessee series win over Ole Miss

A massive win for the Volunteers

A second consecutive series loss was staring Tennessee in the face on Sunday evening, until it wasn’t. Down 8-7 entering the top of the ninth, No. 4 Tennessee found a way.

It was Reese Chapman delivering the two-run shot for the Volunteers, giving them a late 9-8 lead over No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford. Hunter Ensley would add another for a little insurance and Nate Snead finished things up on the mound to collect another win.

It was a bounce back day for Tennessee, who dropped the second game of the series on Saturday after starter Marcus Phillips was hammered for five runs. The Vols would hit three homeruns in an attempt to come back on Saturday, but the bid fell short as Tennessee lost 8-5.

Friday night was all about starter Liam Doyle, who returned to Oxford for the first time since transferring from the Rebels. You knew this one would mean something to Doyle, and he didn’t disappoint. The lefty ended up striking out 14 batters on the night, putting in an electric 8.1 inning effort.

Manny Marin gave Tennessee the lead in the second inning, driving in two after the Vols drew a couple of walks. Ensley pushed the lead to three in the fifth, and that’s all Tennessee would need, winning 3-2.

Gavin Kilen returned to the starting lineup for the first time in nearly a month on Sunday, going 2-4 on the day. He was the only Volunteer with multiple hits on the day.

“For us, I don’t know if you could argue we played good baseball,” Tony Vitello said after the game on Sunday. “Again, part of it is the competition you are playing. We’re playing in a new environment as far as the field goes, but we just kind of and gritted and gutted our way through the whole thing and it worked out the right way.”

Tennessee comes back home to Knoxville for four games at home this week. They’ll welcome in Bellarmine on Tuesday night before hosting Kentucky this weekend for a three-game series.

Just five SEC series remain on the schedule ahead of tournament season, which begins for the Volunteers in late May with the SEC Tournament in Hoover.