Tennessee baseball clutch homers give Vols life in College World Series Finals
![Jun 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Tennessee Volunteers left fielder Dylan Dreiling (8) reacts after hitting a home run against the Texas A&M Aggies during the seventh inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports Jun 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Tennessee Volunteers left fielder Dylan Dreiling (8) reacts after hitting a home run against the Texas A&M Aggies during the seventh inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4339,h_2440,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/212/01j13k9gt700aahhq7zh.jpg)
Tennessee baseball forces a Game 3 with its 4-1 victory over Texas A&M. It was a pitching duel against two great pitching staffs. Tennessee pitching, led by Drew Beam, shut down the Aggies offense with the season on the line.
A&M had a bullpen game, similar to Tennessee's Game One pitching. The Aggies started Zane Badmaev on the mound, but he was pulled for Chris Cortez, who pitched a gem over 4.1 innings.
Texas A&M took a quick 1-0 lead with Drew Beam on the mound for the Vols. Jace Laviolette hit a solo home run to give the Aggies the lead early in the game. Beam was dominant from that point forward, finishing the day with seven strikeouts over four innings pitched.
Kaiden Wilson came in relief in the sixth inning, and the Vols were able to score their first runs of the game in the seventh inning thanks to Dylan Dreiling's two-run home run.
Cal Stark followed that up with a two-run home run of his own in the eighth inning to give the Vols a little bit of breathing room in the final two innings.
It took Kirby Connell and Nate Snead to finish the Aggies off in the ninth. Connell faced one batter and allowed a hit, so Snead came in and shut down the Aggies with three straight outs to secure the win.
Tennessee struggled to score runs and take advantage of runners in scoring position for the second straight game. Add a dozen strikeouts to the Vols' line, and even when the Vols had a chance to put the ball in play, they couldn't make contact.
The Vols and Aggies rubber match will take place on Monday night at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN. The Vols bats will need to come alive in Game 3 and pressure A&M's bullpen in a winner-take-all game for the College World Series Championship.