From Ethan Payne to Chase Burns, Tennessee baseball's win against Clemson had many heroes
CLEMSON, S.C. − Chase Burns had a confession. The Tennessee baseball pitcher couldn't remember what happened in the 10th inning Saturday.
How could you blame him?
It fell somewhere in the back half of a winding affair that almost featured a complete game, could have concluded following a heroic home run, nearly wrapped up in that 10th inning, and needed significant plays from the final player to make Tennessee's 27-man regional roster.
It made for 14 innings of high-level baseball between two teams that deserve a College World Series spot. It ended with Tennessee rising to get within a game of its third straight NCAA Tournament regional title, the Vols edging No. 4 national seed Clemson 6-5 in 14 innings and coach Tony Vitello immediately getting unexpected feedback from his father, Greg.
"I thought congrats was coming and he said he would have done a lot of things differently," Vitello said. "I said the same thing."
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That is life managing a 14-inning game to avoid falling into the elimination side of a regional bracket, which Vitello and the Vols did with a performance all season in the making.
“It shows progress," Vitello said. "That is what you want.”
No. 2 seed Tennessee (40-19) got the big swing from Zane Denton, a two-strike, two-out, three-run homer in the ninth to vault the Vols ahead 5-4. Christian Moore set the stage two batters prior with a two-out single. Blake Burke made it all-the-more possible with an 0-2 single that chased Caden Grice, who stymied Tennessee for 8⅔ innings for the No. 1 seed Tigers (44-18).
Burns supplied 6⅓ of imperfect but incredible relief. He struck out eight and pitched through mayhem. He threw 99 pitches, many in game-deciding moments to send the Vols to Sunday (6 p.m. ET, TBD) against either Clemson or Charlotte (35-27).
"I tried to take him out, but he gave me the Heisman," Vitello said. "I went back to the dugout. At one point in the dugout, he has got (shortstop) Austen Jaslove, who had a big play for us, massaging his arm. I had never seen that before. It was, ‘I want to do this for the team. I want this for the team.’ "
The Vols scored their first five runs with two outs, shades of their success in the second half of SEC play as the season turned. Hunter Ensley delivered the game-winning hit after striking out four times in his first six at-bats. Cal Stark threw out two runners, each with elite tags. Seth Halvorsen picked up where Burns left off with 3⅓ of hitless relief. Ethan Payne, who was the final position player to make Tennessee's regional roster, turned in two sacrifice bunts in extra innings and surely the most important stretch in recent Vols history.
That was in the 10th inning, which Vitello filled in for Burns after he forgot the events.
Burns gave up an infield single. Then he walked a Clemson batter trying to bunt. He hit the next one, who also was trying to bunt.
It was over. But it wasn't. Burns struck out Blake Wright, then Benjamin Blackwell hit into a game-winning fielder's choice. But it wasn't. Moore charged and flipped to Maui Ahuna, who chucked the ball to an extended Payne who had entered as a pinch-runner for Burke an inning prior. Blackwell was called safe and Clemson had won, but review overturned it.
"It was hard workers working for a hard worker," Vitello said of the double play turned behind Burns.
Ninety minutes later, Moore was hugging Christian Scott in shallow right field after Scott caught the final out. Scott waved to the Clemson fans lining the right-field fence, Vitello getting an answer to a question he asked his dad.
"I don’t know what he did, but all the teams he coached in different sports, they always seemed to peak at the end of the year," Vitello said. "There is no recipe for that."
It might be the one Tennessee found Saturday.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Inside Tennessee baseball's win against Clemson and its many heroes
