Tennessee tops Florida State, punches ticket to College World Series finals

OMAHA, Neb. — Tennessee baseball will play for a national championship for the first time in 73 years.

Five days after beginning their College World Series run with a come-from-behind walk-off win over 8-seed Florida State, the 1-seed Vols needed little theatrics to beat the Seminoles a second time, riding a strong start to win, 7-2 at Charles Schwab Field on Wednesday and punching their ticket to the finals for only the second time in program history and the first time since 1951.

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Tennessee (58-12) scored three runs in the first inning, applying early pressure on a depleting Seminoles (49-17) pitching staff.

As for the Vols' pitching situation, left-handed starter Zander Sechrist picked up where he left off in the Knoxville Super Regional, holding Florida State's lineup scoreless for six innings while allowing just five hits and striking out three in 6.1 innings of work.

It helped that Sechrist had the backing of a Tennessee defense that snatched away would-be hits, turned double plays and made catches while running into the wall to set the tone for the second-straight game.

Tennessee
1. Christian Moore (R) - 2B

2. Blake Burke (L) - 1B

3. Billy Amick (R) - 3B

4. Dylan Dreiling (L) - LF

5. Hunter Ensley (R) - DH

6. Kavares Tears (L) - CF

7. Dean Curley (R) - SS

8. Reese Chapman (L) - RF

9. Cal Stark (R) - C

LHP Zander Sechrist

Florida State

1. Max Williams (L) - CF

2. Cam Smith (R) - 3B

3. James Tibbs III (L) - LF

4. Marco Dinges (R) - DH

5. Jaime Ferrer (R) - LF

6. Daniel Cantu (L) - 1B

7. Alex Lodise (R) - SS

8. Drew Faurot (B) - 2B

9. Jaxson West (L) - C

RHP John Abraham

Tennessee got to Florida State starter John Abraham early, getting two on off of a Christian Moore single and Blake Burke walk.

It set up Billy Amick, who reached on a fielder's choice and scored Moore to give the Vols a 1-0 lead with one out and two on.

Hunter Ensley followed suit, singling down the line in left to plate Amick and extend Tennessee's lead to 2-0 before Abraham was pulled for Brennen Oxford.

Oxford didn't fix all of the Seminoles problems. With two outs and runners on the corners, his attempt to pick off Kavares Tears at first sailed wide, allowing Dylan Dreiling to score and open up a 3-0 lead before Florida State was able to get out of the inning.

Florida State tried to build some of its momentum in the bottom half with Cam Smith reaching on an error, but Tears, who moved over from right to center field in place of Ensley, snagged a ball at the wall to rob Marco Dinges of a hit to end the inning.

Moore knocked his second hit in as many at-bats with two outs in the second, then moved into scoring position on a balk. Burke paid it off with a single through the right side, giving Tennessee a 4-0 advantage.

The Seminoles were putting together their best inning yet in the third, getting two into scoring position off of Max Williams' double into left, but Dean Curley decided to throw home to Cal Stark after gloving a ground ball and the lead off runner was out at the plate.

In the next at-bat, James Tibbs III lined out to Burke at first, who threw out Cam Smith at second to complete an inning-ending double play.

After two scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth, Dreiling added some insurance with an RBI single to right that brought Amick across in the seventh for a 6-0 lead.

Florida State avoided the shutout with a Daniel Cantu home run to right, then Alex Lodise followed it up with another that trimmed the Seminoles' deficit to 6-2 in the seventh.

It mattered not.

A double play again turned by Tennessee's infield followed a leadoff single in the eighth and reliever Kirby Connell inched the Vols closer to the finals with his first strikeout. Burke helped provide the knockout blow with a home run to lead off the ninth.

1. Kavares Tears robs Florida State of a hit in the bottom of the first inning.

2. Christian Moore triples to extend Tennessee's lead in the fourth.

3. Blake Burke leads off the ninth with a solo home run to add insurance.

Tennessee is two wins away from a national championship, but it will have to wait at least until tonight to find out who it will play.

The Vols will draw either Florida or Texas A&M, both of which will meet in Game 12 on Wednesday night. The Gators beat Kentucky, 15-4 in an elimination game earlier in the day while the Aggies are the only other team in the CWS to still be unbeaten.

Texas A&M needs to win just one to set up a clash with Tennessee in the finals.

The championship series will begin Saturday in the first of a best-of-three series.

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