CLEMSON, S.C. — Tennessee baseball came back in the ninth inning and got past Clemson five innings after that in the Vols' NCAA Regional matchup at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. on Saturday night.
Hunter Ensley's first hit of the game drove in Maui Ahuna to take a 14th-inning lead and take down the fourth-seeded Tigers 6-5 in the Clemson Regional.
Zane Denton hit a clutch three-run home run with the Vols down to their final strike in the ninth inning to get the Vols in front 5-4 in the ninth inning, but Clemson evened the score at the bottom of the ninth to send the game to a marathon of extra frames.
A Christian Moore home run in the fourth inning gave the Vols the first lead of the game, but a Clemson three-run home run and an RBI double in the following inning propelled Clemson to a 4-1 win after five innings.
Tennessee starting pitcher Chase Dollander struggled in the fifth inning and allowed three hits, including a three-run home run from Cam Cannarella before getting an out. He only got one out before he was replaced by Chase Burns, but Burns allowed an RBI double from Caden Grice that helped the Tigers go ahead 4-1.
The Vols got one back when Zane Denton left the yard for a solo shot in the seventh inning to make it a 4-2 game, but Tennessee was held off the scoreboard for the final two innings.
Caden Grice also pitched for Clemson but was pulled after 8.2 innings with runners on the corners in favor of junior lefty Ryan Ammons. The first batter Ammons faced was Zane Denton and he left the yard on a 2-2 count to put the Vols back in front.
Tennessee's Chase Dollander went 4.1 innings with seven hits allowed along with four earned runs and four strikeouts in the loss. Chase Burns finished with three hits allowed and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.
The Vols are now just one win away from the NCAA Super Regionals. Tennessee will play its next game on Sunday, June 4 at 6 p.m. against the winner of an elimination game between Clemson and Charlotte.
