Tennessee women basketball head coach Kim Caldwell create first history at NCAA Conference Tournament…see more
HOOVER, Alabama: No. 1/1 Tennessee defeated rival Vanderbilt 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinal at the Hoover Met to go to the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship for the third time in four years.
The Volunteers, at 49-11 on the year, were powered by another outstanding start from Zander Sechrist in the mound and more fireworks from Christian Moore at the plate.
Sechrist went six solid innings to earn the win and raise his record to 3-1 this season. It was his seventh start of five or more innings. The veteran left-hander gave up just two runs on four hits while striking out five batters. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Braden Holcomb hit a two-run home run, scoring both runs.
resume with three knocks, none bigger than a mammoth 441-foot blast over the batter’s eye in center field that put the Vols ahead by three runs in the sixth inning after the Commodores scored two runs to tie the game a half inning earlier.
Starting at catcher, Cannon Peebles was also quite successful on the day, collecting two hits, two runs scored, and one RBI.
In addition, Dalton Bargo contributed a hit, a walk, and an RBI, and Kavares Tears added two more hits and a run to cap off an outstanding tournament performance.
Pitching a career-high three innings and tying a career-high three strikeouts, Marcus Phillips secured his third save of the season.
For Vanderbilt (38-21), reliever Luke Guth took the loss after working two innings and allowing three runs on five hits. In addition to Holcomb’s home run, Jonathan Vastine scored two runs offensively on two sacrifice flies.
on Sunday in order to earn its fifth SEC Tournament championship, including the second under head coach Tony Vitello.
In the 2022 championship game, the Vols defeated Florida 8–5, earning their only championship since the tournament’s current 12-team structure was introduced in 2013.
UP NEXT: On Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET, UT will play No. 11 seed LSU for the SEC Tournament championship. ESPN2 will broadcast the match.
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