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2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament: 3 SEC teams win late Saturday in dramatic fashion

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Some of the best baseball of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament action was played in the day’s final hours. Tennessee, Texas A&M and Alabama all posted dramatic wins late Saturday night.

Tennessee 6, No. 4 Clemson 5 (14)

Tennessee’s extra-innings win over No. 4 national seed Clemson is an early candidate for best game of the tournament. The Volunteers were down to their last out in the 9th inning, trailing 4-2 before Zane Denton crushed a 3-run home run, his 2nd homer of the game, to put Tennessee up 5-4.

The Tigers answered in a big way. Cam Cannarella hit a 2-out RBI single to make it 5-5 in the bottom of the 9th.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Clemson loaded the bases with nobody out. A grounder with 1 out initially appeared to plate the winning run. Replay review, however, determined that Tennessee turned an inning-ending double play that kept the run off the board.

It remained 5-5 through the 13th inning. In the top of the 14th inning, Hunter Ensley doubled to right-center field, scoring Maui Ahuna to put UT up 6-5. Tennessee held on for the win to reach the regional final.

Texas A&M 8, No. 8 Stanford 4

Out west, Texas A&M was tied 4-4 with No. 8 national seed Stanford in the 8th inning. The Aggies broke through in a big way, scoring 3 runs on a bases-clearing double by Hunter Haas to make it 7-4.

Texas A&M added an insurance run in the 9th inning and held off the Cardinal bats for an 8-4 victory over the No. 8 national seed.

Alabama 11, Troy 8

In Tuscaloosa, Troy led No. 16 national seed Alabama 8-7 entering the 9th inning. Though UA is the regional host, the Crimson Tide was the visiting team in the game.

With 2 outs, Alabama rallied in a big way. An error helped Alabama pull ahead 9-8. The Tide would add 2 more insurance runs to make it 11-8, the game’s final score. Hunter Hooper got a 1.2-inning save.

Earlier Saturday, No. 15 national seed South Carolina defeated NC State 6-3. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the 5th inning. NC State scored 3 in the 6th inning, but South Carolina hurlers put up 0s for the final 3 frames.

Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are in the loser’s bracket as regional hosts. Auburn was eliminated after an 0-2 showing. Arkansas and LSU had games postponed Saturday due to weather.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.

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