‘This game was the future for us’: Tennessee run-rules Mississippi State in must-win contest

HOOVER, Ala. — Following Tennessee’s controversial loss to Alabama on Wednesday, Tony Vitello issued a challenge.

He said his team could “go home and be sad” about the loss, or it could “use (the loss) as fuel” for Thursday’s elimination game against Mississippi State.

The Vols chose the latter.

After a sluggish first inning, 2-seed Tennessee used hot bats and some heads-up base running to run-rule the three-seed Bulldogs 12-2 in eight innings at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

"You can't go back and change the past," said Tennessee starter Chad Dallas in regard to Wednesday. "You can only worry about the future. This game was the future for us."

Added Vitello: "That might've been our best game of the year, when you throw all the stuff from yesterday on the table. Tough group of kids. They love to compete, and they seem to love the bounce-back thing more than anything."

The comeback theme has been a familiar one for Tennessee, which hadn't won an SEC Tournament game since 2007 before Thursday. The win over Mississippi State snapped a seven-game losing streak in Hoover.

This win also pits Tennessee against the loser of 6-seed Florida and 10-seed Alabama at 3 p.m. CT on Friday. Like Thursday, Friday will be a must-win matchup if Tennessee wants to stay alive in the tournament.

Bats emerge early as Dallas deals

Thursday’s matchup was the first of the day, with the first pitch sliding across the plate at 9:32 a.m. But the early start didn’t bother Pete Derkay.

With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, the Vols’ designated hitter hammered a three-run shot over the fence in left-center field, putting Tennessee at an early 3-0 lead.

Vitello said Derkay's blast "gave (him) a jolt," adding that Derkay "literally bleeds orange."

UT catcher Connor Pavolony — who persevered through an injured hand and a nosebleed against Alabama — followed Derkay’s blast with a double to the wall.

Liam Spence scored Pavolony with a hard-hit single to give the Vols a 4-0 lead. The All-SEC Australia native overcame a recent slump — including a 1-for-6 effort on Wednesday — with a 3-for-5 performance against the Bulldogs.

In the top of the third frame, Mississippi State posed its most serious threat to Tennessee’s lead. An RBI single from SEC Player of the Year Tanner Allen put the Bulldogs on the board, and MSU loaded the bases before Kamren James worked a full count against Dallas.

The junior right-hander escaped the jam relatively unscathed, though, and the Vols continued their defensive stand with a smooth 3-6 double play in the top of the fourth. Tennessee’s starter allowed six hits in 6.2 innings of work, tossing 60 strikes on 93 pitches with one walk, a run and an error.

The win made him the first Tennessee pitcher to reach 10 wins since 2005.

"He's at his best when his back is against the wall," said Vitello.

Added Dallas: "I didn't know that stat until (you) told me, but that's pretty cool."

Tennessee’s hot hitting didn’t stop, either. Jordan Beck rifled a solo shot for a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth frame, and Liam Spence, Max Ferguson and Drew Gilbert connected on three straight singles to put the lead at 6-1.

Double trouble, Ferguson and Spence emerge

With his team leading by five runs, Vitello pulled out his bag of tricks. Drew Gilbert stole second, Ferguson stole home, and Tennessee committed baseball robbery with a lethal double steal to put the lead at 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth.

Fresh off his home plate steal, Ferguson brought another run across with his second RBI single of the day. That gave the Vols an 8-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Tennessee replaced Dallas with Redmond Walsh in the top of the seventh, and Mississippi State took advantage of the fresh arm with an RBI single from Kamren James in the top of the eighth.

But that was all the Bulldogs got.

In the bottom of the eighth, a bases-loaded walk from Liam Spence scored Jordan Beck for a 9-2 lead, Ferguson notched a two-RBI single for an 11-2 advantage, and the Vols run-ruled the Bulldogs with another RBI hit from Drew Gilbert to make the final score 12-2.

Ferguson and Spence each finished 3-for-5 with two RBI apiece. The Vols also totaled 15 hits and 11 RBI in total, and their 15-for-36 effort at the plate stood in stark contrast to a 10-for-44 effort on Wednesday.

Moreover, Tennessee's final four runs came against Landon Sims, one of the premier relievers in college baseball.

According to a stat found by Troy Provost-Heron of The Daily Times, Sims had allowed just 15 total hits entering Thursday's contest.

But Derkay said the Vols' response -- even against a tough Bulldog staff -- was simple:

"We kind of care who's on the other side, but we really don't."

Dallas echoed that theme when asked about the possibility of a rematch against Alabama.

"We try not to pay attention to the other side," he said. "You acknowledge you they are, but don't worry about the past."

"You control what you can control."

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