Tennessee baseball hosted Wake Forest in the regional finals and dropped the first game to the Demon Deacons 7-6.
The teams will now square off for a winner-take-all game seven of the Knoxville Regional on Monday with the winner headed to the super regionals.
Here's what Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter, pitcher Hiaden Leffew and position player Jack Winnay said after the game.
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HC - Tom Walter
Opening statement…
“What a great college baseball game that was. Both teams played at a really high level for nine innings. Game could have gone either way. Two great ball clubs. Tennessee threw three really good guys out at us. I mean, [Brandon] Arvidson, I didn't expect him to go as long as he did and he was fantastic tonight. And then, obviously, Nate's Snead as [good a pitcher as] there is, but our guys matched them pitch for pitch. Logan Lunceford was probably the difference for us tonight. He got his five innings. He got two shutdown innings so we could keep some momentum in our dugout. And then Rhys Bowie got six big outs and then, obviously, [Josh] Gunther and [Haiden] Leffew got the last nine outs. And then give credit to our guys for great at-bats, especially there in the ninth inning. [The inning starts off with] the great walk by Scanny [Matt Scannell]. Marek [Houston] with two strikes, finds a hole, Kade Lewis with a great bunt. And then we had the guy up that we want up in those situations, Jack Winnay. And so, couldn't be happier for Jack. He deserves that atbat and he came through for his teammates. So, really well-played game. Really proud of our guys and can't wait to play tomorrow.”
On patience and confidence with the pitching staff…
“Well, it's a great point because when I look back at some of the games we've lost, I feel like we've gotten like two outs less from a couple of our guys than I wanted to get. And I have this—usually we have this thing mapped out in our heads how we want this to go and today we got maybe a couple outs more than we expected. Probably shouldn't have left [Logan] Lunceford in there to face [Andrew] Fischer. That was in between on that and, again, Fischer, he's so dangerous and he didn't miss with two strikes and two outs. But, ‘Lunce’ those five innings [was huge] and then Rhys Bowie, too. I mean, he was a little bit on the ropes, walked a couple guys, but they got us a big out to get us in the dugout there so that we could start ‘Gunny’ [Josh Gunther] clean and that's big difference.”
On pitching situation heading into tomorrow’s regional final…
“Well, thanks to Logan [Lunceford] and Matt Dallas, we're in a lot better shape than I thought we'd be in, quite honestly. We'll have Griffin Green fresh, so he'll start for us and we'll try to get a little bit of length out of him. If we can get as many as twice through the order, [that would be great], wouldn't be more than that. I learned my lesson today when I tried to get greedy with [Logan] Lunceford and we won’t make that mistake again tomorrow. But hopefully, if we can get ‘Griff’ twice through the order then that should set us up for the rest of that. And we got Luke Schmolke back tomorrow, we're going to have Haiden Leffew back tomorrow. Knowing ‘Gunny’ [Josh Gunther], we'll have him back tomorrow, but we also got [Duncan] Marsten and [Chris] Levonas back tomorrow. And [Blake] Morningstar has been texting me relentlessly for the past 48 hours, telling me he's good to go anytime we need him. So I like the options we have available tomorrow.”
On how the team has been able to win three straight games after a tough opening loss to Cincinnati…
“Well, I give credit to our players. They've had the attitude that we're going to go down swinging. And with Jack [Winnay] and Marek [Houston, they] have been right at the center of that. But ‘Stewie’ and Gunny [Josh Gunther]and the sophomore class, [a guy like] Blake [Morningstar], I mean, they pick right up on. And then you got a guy like Jacob Burley. And again, Jack said it perfectly, ‘These guys don't want this to be their last game.’ So, we're going to come out fighting tomorrow and maybe it goes our way, maybe it doesn't. But I know that Tennessee will have their hands full.”
LHP - Hiaden Leffew
On feeling good about the scouting report…
“The biggest thing that was going through my head was throw the ball right down the middle. The PitchCom tells me where to throw it and I do my best ability to throw where that needs to be thrown. We do have the scouting report. I know that my stuff is going to play and I go out there and show my stuff. If they hit it, they hit it. If they don't, they don’t.”
On the energy from the pitchers at the end of the game…
“It was really good. The energy that I had when I came off the mound really helped the offense put together really good at-bats. Baseball is a game of emotions and when you have that energy, nobody can beat you, honestly.”
On settling in after the first few batters…
“It all came from the mentality of what we’re doing in the game. ‘Moose’ [pitching coach Corey Muscara] and I talked a bunch. If they hit us, they hit us – so be it. Usually, I feel like coming into a game, I try to do too much. With the defense I have behind me, I was able to get through it pretty good.”
INF/OF - Jack Winnay
On Marek Houston…
“I've played with Marek for three years now, he's someone you got to bet on. You've seen his growth as a person and as a player. He hit .220 with four home runs his freshman year, [or maybe even] two home runs his freshman year. You just see the growth that he's made. That's a guy you always want up. He's done all the work to get to where he's at. And he's one of my roommates, he's one of my best friends. I just love the kid to death and I'm super proud of him.”
On taking a walk to win the game…
“I was glad to do it. I'll do it again. Obviously, I want to hit a homer there or I just want to win the game. I just didn't want it to be my last game wearing a Wake Forest baseball jersey. Whatever it took, I was willing to do it.”
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