Tennessee baseball came out swinging on Wednesday afternoon against Florida State. The Vols were one win away from securing their spot in the College World Series Finals, and they came out playing like a team capable of winning the CWS.
The Vols were the designated visitors in Wednesday's game for the first time since arriving in Omaha. They took full advantage of starting the game at the plate and jumped out to a quick lead en route to their 7-2 win over FSU and their 55th win of the season.
Christian Moore was walked to start the game, but Blake Burke and Billy Amick were able to move Moore around the bases and across the plate for Tennessee's first run of the game. Dylan Dreiling walked and opened the door for Hunter Ensley to drive in another run. Ensley scored on a fielding error, and the Vols quickly led 3-0.
The early lead gave Zander Sechrist some support before he even took the mound, but he didn't need much, as he only allowed three hits through the first six innings. The Vols tacked on another run in the second, fourth, and seventh innings, allowing Sechrist, Kirby Connell, and Nate Snead to work with a comfortable lead on the mound.
Tennessee's pitching shut down the high-powered Florida State offense except for back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning. Other than that, the Noles couldn't do anything with the Vols pitching staff.
Besides a couple of errors from the Vols' defense, Tennessee put together one of the best all-around performances of the tournament so far. Tony Vitello has his guys locked in for the CWS Finals and will have them ready to bring their best for a spot in immortality.
Now, the Vols will take a couple of days off and prepare for the College World Series Finals, where they will face Texas A&M. Game 1 will start on Saturday, June 22, at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. Game 2 and Game 3 will follow on Sunday and Monday, if necessary.