Vols Survive Camels' Bite, Score 12 Runs to Defeat Campbell and Break Program Record

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– The Vols found themselves down 4-0 to Campbell after the third inning. Chase Dollander had just pitched one of his worst innings of his excellent season, and Campbell starting pitcher Cade Kuehler had heavily limited the top-ranked Vols' offensive production. 

However, Tennessee soon got in their groove at the plate, scoring 7 runs in the fourth and fifth innings to get over the four-run hump they faced early. 

For the remainder of the game, the Fighting Camels would do just that: fight. But Tennessee's bullpen arms Kirby Connell, Chase Burns and Redmond Walsh held Campbell to three runs, and Cortland Lawson, Blake Burke, and Christian Moore combined to account for five more runs for the Big Orange. 

Tennessee's late-game offense was ultimately too much for Campbell to handle, and the Vols won 12-7, recording their 55th win of the season–a program record–in exciting fashion.

Here's how it happened. 

0s on the Scoreboard Through Two

Tennessee was the road team and batted first on Saturday due to the fact they had been the away team (0 times) less than Campbell had (1 time) in the tournament so far. The first pitch of the night from Campbell's starting sophomore RHP Cade Kuehler was met by the bat of Seth Stephenson that sent the pitch into left-field for a leadoff single. 

Stephenson later stole second after Luc Lipcius popped up, but he was stranded there after Jordan Beck lined out and Drew Gilbert fouled out to Campbell's third baseman Jarrod Belbin. Belbin made a great play to track the ball well into left-field for the final out of the inning. 

Campbell's offense faced off against Chase Dollander for the first time in the bottom of the inning. Three-hole hitter Zach Neto cracked a two-out single to right-field and later stole second during Logan Jordan's at-bat, but Jordan ultimately flied out to his former teammate in center-field to leave his current teammate stranded at second. 

In the bottom of the first, Dollander struck out Campbell's two-hole hitter Lawson Harrill to earn his 100th strikeout of the season. 

The Vols got another hit in the second inning with a Trey Lipscomb roped leadoff double to left-field, but Kuehler retired the side to strand the Vols' home-run leader. Campbell's shortstop Zach Neto made a great play on a Blake Burke grounder for the second out of the inning. The decision to not make a shift against Burke worked wonders for the Fighting Camels. 

After two innings at the plate, the Vols had stranded a leadoff single and double. 

But leaving a pair of runners in scoring position through two innings didn't come back to bite, as Chase Dollander stranded another Camel in the bottom of the second by retiring the side around a two-out double. 

Campbell Takes the Early Lead

The Fighting Camels struck first in the bottom of the third inning after Tennessee went down in order in the top of the frame. 

Campbell's nine-hole hitter Tyler Halstead bunted a single to third before leadoff hitter Jarrod Belbin crushed a two-run homer off the scoreboard to give his team the early 2-0 lead. 

Dollander went on to give up a one-out double to Neto, giving the Campbell shortstop his second base knock of the game. Neto later stole third and scored on a fielding error by Cortland Lawson on a Connor Denning (CU's  DH) ground ball, giving Campbell a 3-0 lead. 

Dollander then walked Campbell's first baseman Drake Pierson before giving up an RBI single to Ty Babin that scored Denning. Campbell took a 4-0 lead with the single, putting the Vols in an abnormal sizable hole.

The SEC Pitcher of the Year did not stay on the mound for much longer. He walked Campbell eight-hole hitter Waldy Arias to load the bases, and Kirby Connell came out of the bullpen to take the mound with the bases juiced and two outs. 

Connell did his job by getting Halstead to fly out and strand the bases loaded, but (arguably) Dollander's worst inning of his Tennessee career allowed the Fighting Camels to take the four-run lead heading into the fourth. 

Vols Respond in Big Way

To say Tennessee responded well to Campbell's three-run inning would be an understatement. 

The Vols wasted no time regaining the momentum, as Drew Gilbert delivered a one-out double to right-field before Trey Lipscomb brought hime home with a RBI single. Lipscomb didn't stay on the base-paths long, either, as Jorel Ortega crushed a two-run bomb over the porches behind the left-field wall in Lindsey Nelson Stadium to cut Campbell's lead to a lone run. 

Kirby Connell pitched again for the Vols in the bottom of the fourth, working around a leadoff walk and one-out single to prevent a run. Connell was assisted by Charlie Taylor and Trey Lipscomb, who worked together to catch Connor Denning trying to steal home. 

The explosive Vols followed up their three-run fourth inning with a monster of a fifth inning, posting a four-spot to take the lead. 

Luc Lipcius and Jordan Beck were the first two baserunners of the inning, recording a one-out walk and single, respectively, before both were brought home by a mammoth three-run homer by Drew Gilbert. Gilbert's bomb went well over the Tennessee scoreboard and gave the Vols their first lead of the game (6-4). 

After Gilbert's homer, Tennessee's star third baseman Trey Lipscomb got on base via a HBP and worked his way to third after stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Lipscomb was then brought home by a beautiful Jorel Ortega RBI infield single to Kuehler. Ortega's RBI marked his third of the game and 59th of the season (third on the team). 

Kirby Connell Dazzles in Relief

Connell was excellent as Tennessee's first arm out of the pen on Saturday. After retiring his first batter faced to strand the bases loaded in the third inning, the Blacksburg, South Carolina native dealt four solid innings. Connell dealt three scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the seventh, allowing a two-run homer to Campbell's first baseman Drake Pierson. 

However, Connell did his job in relief of Dollander, stymieing Campbell's hot bats while Tennessee's offense took the lead. Connell's four-inning outing marked his second-longest outing of the season, and the junior lefty set a career-high in total pitches with 65, coming up big for the Vols when they needed it most. 

Connell's final line is below: 

4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 41 strikes on 65 total pitches

After Connell gave up the two-run homer in the seventh and struck out Jarrod Belbin for the second out of the frame, Tony Vitello went to the pen to bring in freshman RHP Chase Burns. 

Campbell loaded the bases against Burns with a HBP, single and intentional walk, but the freshman got the biggest strikeout of the night by getting Lawson Harrill swinging to end the inning and strand the bases loaded. 

Vols, Fighting Camels Trade Runs in the Eighth

Tennessee entered the eighth inning with a one-run lead and ended the eighth with a one-run lead, as Tennessee and Campbell each added a run to their total in the penultimate frame. 

The Vols' run in the eighth came via a one-out solo homer by Blake Burke, as the freshman continues to come up big late in games. With his homer, Burke ties VFLs J.P. Arencibia and Alan Cockrell for the most home runs hit by Vol in his freshman season with 14. 

After Burke's blast, Cortland Lawson cracked a double and Jared Dickey, who pinch-hit for Charlie Taylor, was walked. Vitello's decision to have Dickey pinch-hit meant Evan Russell would surely make his 2022 NCAA Tournament debut in the bottom of the eighth and tie Pete Derkay and Alan Cockrell for most games played by a Vol.

Dickey and Lawson were left stranded after Campbell relief pitcher Ty Cummings retired Lipcius and Stephenson, but not before Tennessee had taken a two-run lead. 

Campbell's matched Tennessee's one-run total in the eighth with one of their own. Connor Denning hit a two-out solo home run against Chase Burns on the first pitch of his at-bat to cut Tennessee's lead, but Burns quickly retired his next batter to end the inning. 

Vols Put it Away With Second Four-Run Inning

A wild night in Lindsey Nelson Stadium was capped by an even wilder final inning. Tennessee's first run of four in the ninth inning came via a Christian Moore, who pinch-hit for Blake Burke against left-handed relief pitcher Ryan Chasse, to score Drew Gilbert from second. 

Moore's single gave Tennessee baserunners on first and second with two outs, and the Vols continued their huge two-out rally with a Cortland Lawson three-run blast to give Tennessee a 12-7 lead. 

Evan Russell then made his plate debut of the night and the NCAA Tournament, knocking a single into left-field that sent the crowd to their feet. 

Seth Stephenson also singled and stole second to give Tennessee two more runners in scoring position with Luc Lipcius up to bat, but Russell was tagged out trying to steal home on a wild pitch to end the top of the inning. 

Regardless, the Vols all but ended it with their offensive eruption in the ninth, and super-senior closer Redmond Walsh took the mound in the bottom of the frame, retiring the Camels in order to close it out. 

With the win, Tennessee set a program single-season record with 55 wins, topping the Vols' 1995 season in which the Vols had 54 wins. 

Up Next

The Vols will look to make it a clean three-game sweep in the Knoxville Regionals by beating the winner of Georgia Tech vs. Campbell in Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The Fighting Camels and Yellow Jackets will begin their elimination game at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. If Tennessee loses to the winner of that game on Sunday evening, the two teams will play again in the final game of the tournament on Monday. 

Video at the top of the article courtesy UT Athletics Baseball Communications. 

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