Tennessee Tops Southern Miss in Super Regional

The Tennessee Volunteers are heading back to Omaha as they defeat the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in a decisive game three.

On Monday night, the Tennessee Volunteers sealed the deal in the Hattiesburg Super Regional by defeating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 5-0. The win sends Tennessee to Omaha for the College World Series for the sixth time in program history and the second time in three years.

The pitching from Tennessee played a major role in the Vols' victory. Drew Beam got the start in the win-or-go-home game three and threw a masterful six innings. Despite giving up all seven hits the Golden Eagles had, Beam threw seven punch outs in his incredible start. The other pitchers the Volunteers had were Aaron Combs (0.1 innings) and Chase Burns (2.2 innings). Burns threw four strikeouts while giving up zero hits. He had a key one in the seventh inning against Slade Wilks with a fastball clocking in at 102 mph. Offensively, the scoring for Tennessee began in the bottom of the second inning with a single by Griffin Merritt that scored Christian Moore from second and sent Zane Denton to third. The Volunteers' offense would go a little quiet again until the bottom of the fifth inning. Denton was at the plate with runners on first and third. He would hit a home run to right center field to give the Volunteers a 4-0 lead. It was Denton's 16th home run of the season.

Maui Ahuna also got in on the offensive action with a solo home run to push the Vols out in front 5-0. For Ahuna, it was his 8th home run on the season. He continues to be an impressive presence at the plate for Tennessee, as he has a .302 batting average and leads the team in doubles (19). He went 1-2 in the game, three wins, and was walked twice. Tennessee's attention now turns to Omaha as they have a date with the LSU Tigers Saturday night to kick off the world series. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. E.T., and the game will be on ESPN. 

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