HOOVER, Ala. – Vanderbilt fell 6-4 to top-seeded Tennessee in the semifinals of the 2024 SEC Tournament Saturday evening at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
The Volunteers opened the scoring in the top of the fourth on a throwing error after a leadoff double. With one run in and runners on the corners, a sac fly made it 2-0, Tennessee.
Tennessee put runners on the corners again in the top of the fifth but Luke Guth escaped the jam to keep the Dores within two.
After a leadoff single by Matthew Polk in the home half of the fifth, Braden Holcomb wiped away the deficit with a two-run blast into the Tennessee bullpen in left field to even the score at 2-2.
Tennessee retook the lead in the top of the sixth with a sac fly. A two-run homer made it 5-2, Tennessee.
A wild pitch in the top of the eighth extended Tennessee’s lead to 6-2.
The Dores got the run back in the bottom of the eighth as Calvin Hewett led off the frame with a triple. Jonathan Vastine brought Hewett home with a sac fly to trim Tennessee’s lead back to three.
The Dores threatened in the bottom of the ninth. Holcomb singled to get the rally started and Jack Bulger followed with another hit and Holcomb was able to move up to third. Vastine drove in his second run of the game with a sac fly to make it 6-4, but the Volunteers held on to win and advance to Sunday’s championship game.
Vanderbilt, the defending SEC Tournament champions, had won six consecutive games in Hoover including a 13-4 victory over Tennessee on Wednesday.
Head coach Tim Corbin became the winningest coach in SEC Tournament history with his 47th tournament victory Thursday evening when Vandy knocked off Mississippi State to advance to the semifinals.
Holcomb finished the tournament 7-for-13 with a home run, double, four RBI and six runs scored. Hewett went 6-for-14 with a homer, triple, double, three RBI and four stolen bases. RJ Austin also totaled six hits on the week and the Vanderbilt pitching staff registered a 3.75 ERA over the four games.
Vanderbilt falls to 38-21 on the season. The 64-team field for the 2024 NCAA Tournament will be announced Monday with the selection show beginning at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
