By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Vols’ offense and defense both faltered Tuesday night as they were eliminated 5-0 by LSU at the College World Series in Omaha.
Tennessee had rallied Monday from a 4-0 deficit against Stanford and had gotten a 6-4 victory to extend their season.
But there would be no late rally against LSU. The Tigers started Nate Ackenhausen, who had previously been exclusively a reliever. He gave LSU six shutout innings, while Riley Cooper finished off Tennessee.
The Vols twice left two runners stranded and once left the bases loaded. Defensively, they gave up one run on a blown double-play, another on a wild pitch, and Tennessee pitchers hit five LSU batters, including three in one inning that also cost them a run.
They got six hits, but couldn’t ever really get a key one. LSU got a first inning run, then single runs in other innings until the ninth, when a two-run homer from Dylan Crews blew the game open.
LSU advanced to meet Wake Forest in the Wednesday game. Tennessee ended its season 44-22, but despite the disappointing Tuesday result, have to be satisfied with their turnaround this year after losing the Super Regional at home last year to Notre Dame.
At one point Tennessee was 5-10 in the SEC. They rebounded to not only make the NCAAs, but win both the regional and super regional finals on the road.
Ultimately their inability to beat LSU proved their undoing. They dropped two of three to them in the regular season, then lost to them twice in the College World Series.
