By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Saul Young/News Sentinel
Tennessee Volunteers advances to the Super Regionals after defeating Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 11-5 in Knoxville.
The Volunteers erupted for seven runs in the fourth inning, which the Demon Deacons could not overcome.
Wake Forest got on the board early in the second inning when catcher Matt Conte belted a two-run home run to give the team a 2-0 lead.
The Volunteers got on the board in the third inning, but the party began in the fourth when Reese Chapman tied the game with a single. Afterward, second baseman Dean Curley scored on a wild pitch to give Tennessee a 3-2 lead.
Freshman Third baseman Manny Marin hit the most significant swing of the game with a three-run home run to extend the lead for the Vokunteers 6-2. Marin finished the game going 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs.
Freshman Brayden Krenzel (3-0) won the Volunteers’ win. He pitched two innings, struck out three hitters, and gave up two earned runs and a home run. Liam Doyle got the save after having five strikeouts. Doyle made history by surpassing Luke Hochevar as the program’s single-season strikeout leader with 158.
Andrew Fischer, Curley, and Marin received all-regional team honors for their tremendous performance.
The Volunteers will begin their Suoer Regionals matchup against No. 3 seed Arkansas on Saturday for Game Q at 5 pm EST in the best-of-three series. Game 2 will be on Sunday, and Game 3 will be on Monday.
It’s Tennessee’s fifth straight year and just the seventh time in program history that it has gone to the Suoer Regionals. What an incredible program, what an accomplishment.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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