Chase Lee Overcomes Difficulties Against Tennessee in Longest Outing of the Season

HOOVER, Ala. — It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.

On Wednesday afternoon, Alabama baseball upset a top-25 team for the second straight day, downing No. 4 Tennessee 3-2 in 11 innings to take the first game of the second round of the 2021 SEC Tournament.

While starting pitcher Tyler Ras was the key to success for the Crimson Tide on Tuesday against the No. 24 South Carolina Gamecocks, a closer would take the title as biggest contributor on the mound for Alabama on Wednesday.

Junior closer Chase Lee was critical in the Crimson Tide's victory over the Volunteers. Lee did not see any action on the mound against the Gamecocks, and it was expected that he would make an appearance. However, the actual length of his appearance was something that no one could have predicted.

With a stellar performance from Ras and the bullpen on Tuesday and a solid start for Jacob McNairy and reliever William Freeman on Wednesday, Lee had a lot on his shoulders heading into the game. Regarding his mindset heading into the tournament as opposed to a normal relief situation during the regular season, Lee said his approach hasn't changed.

"Nothing's really changed," Lee said. "We had the mindset of coming in and knew we had to win some games to get into the postseason. Everyone understood these were the most important games and the most important innings we'd play all year. So nobody really had to say anything or nobody did anything special.

"We just went out there and played with the expectation of winning because that's what we had to do to continue playing in the season."

Lee took to the mound in the middle of the seventh in a tricky situation. With the runners at the corners and one out, Lee started his outing by allowing two Tennessee runs to tie the game. Frustrated, Lee returned to the dugout dismayed, but ready to head back out in the eighth.

Lee made quick work of the Volunteers in the eighth, but soon found himself in a very familiar situation in the ninth. With runners at the corners — this time with nobody out — Lee forced a groundout then loaded the bases with an intentional walk. After a controversial interference call that led to a double play and the end of the side, Lee advanced into the 10th inning.

In the 10th and 11th, Lee was back to his old self and made quick work of Tennessee. An RBI single by designated hitter Owen Diodati was ultimately the winning play for Alabama, and the team advanced into Thursday with a 2-0 record in the tournament.

For Lee, the outing was the second-longest of his career and his longest of the season at four and two-thirds innings. His 85 total pitches were the most in his career. In total, Lee walked one batter and struck out three of his 20 batters faced on his way to his seventh win of the season.

When asked about his thoughts on his big outing, Lee credited everyone but himself.

"Incredible defense behind me," Lee said. "It's really easy to pitch with guys behind me. Peyton had a great play. Zane had some great plays. It was all around just a really good defensive effort, and it was really easy to pound the zone when guys like that are behind you."

Diodati, responsible for Alabama's winning run in the 11th, credited the bullpen effort before any of his individual efforts.

"The bullpen between Will Freeman and Chase Lee, they were unbelievable," Crimson Tide designated hitter Owen Diodati said. "When you have guys like that on the mound, it's really fun to play behind, and I think we kind of feed off their energy."

Now Alabama will have Thursday morning off before taking on No. 6-seed Florida (4:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network). The Gators are the No. 13 team in the nation, making yet another tricky team in the Crimson Tide's way.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Alabama got exactly what it needed from its bullpen, sticking to relatively few pitchers and avoiding having to go too deep. Keeping the majority of its relievers rested will be crucial should the Crimson Tide advance further.

When asked about who would be the Crimson Tide's starting pitcher against Florida, Alabama coach Brad Bohannon referenced Lee's long outing.

"I think tomorrow we're going to start Chase Lee," Bohannon joked. "I'm just kidding. He would probably do it."