Tennessee defeats LSU, Mainieri bids farewell

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee belted six home runs Sunday as the Volunteers defeated LSU 15-6 to win the Knoxville Super Regional and advance to the College World Series. LSU lost the first game in the series Saturday, 4-2.
Tennessee improved to 50-16 with its fifth straight NCAA Tourn-ament win. LSU completed its season with a 38-25 record.
Sunday’s game marked the end of the career of LSU coach Paul Mainieri, who announced on May 28 that he would retire at the end of the Tigers’ 2021 season.
Mainieri completed his 39-season coaching career with a 1,505-777-8 record, including a 641-285-3 mark in 15 seasons at LSU.
LSU won 31 team championships during Mainieri’s tenure, including the 2009 national championship, nine NCAA Regional championships, five NCAA Super Regional championships, four SEC regular-season titles, six SEC Tournament titles and six SEC Western Division crowns.
Mainieri completed his career No. 7 among NCAA Baseball Division I coaches in wins, and he is one of only five coaches in NCAA Division I Baseball history to earn 1,500 victories and a national championship.
In Sunday’s win, Tennessee right-hander Blade Tidwell (10-3) earned the win as he worked seven innings and allowed six runs on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
LSU starter Landon Marceaux (7-7) suffered the loss as he gave up three runs — two earned — on three hits in three innings with one walk and four strikeouts.
“We felt good going into the game,” Mainieri said in a news release. “Landon has so much courage and guts, and he was unbelievable in pitching twice in the regional last weekend, but I could tell early on he didn’t have his usual stuff. His slider didn’t have the kind of bite that it normally does, and his velocity was down. It just shows you what kind of competitor he is. He gritted his teeth and battled through three innings.”
Tennessee, the visiting team for Sunday’s game, grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when third baseman Jake Rucker unloaded a two-run homer, his eighth of the season.
LSU responded in the bottom of the first with a run as right fielder Dylan Crews led off the frame with his 17th homer of the season.
Rucker hit a solo homer with one out in the third to extend Tennessee’s lead to 3-1, but Crews again responded with a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the inning to narrow the gap to 3-2.
Tennessee catcher Connor Pavolony blasted a two-run homer in the fourth against reliever Garrett Edwards, giving the Vols a 5-2 advantage.
The Vols erupted for six runs in the fifth, which was highlighted by right fielder Jordan Beck’s three-run homer.
LSU reduced the deficit to 11-4 in the sixth on a two-run homer by first baseman Tre’ Morgan, and the Tigers trailed 11-6 when designated hitter Brody Drost launched a two-run homer in the seventh.
However, Tennessee leftfielder Evan Russell hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and the Vols added two runs in the ninth for the final.
“Our kids battled like crazy all year,” Mainieri said in the release. “We were counted out a lot of times during the course of this year, and our guys never gave up. They’re a resilient bunch, and I love them. I’ll always remember them. They’re my last team.
“I don’t want people to be sad for me,” Mainieri added. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Thirty-nine years of being able to live out a childhood dream of being a college baseball coach. I got to do what I wanted to do with my life. Who could ask for more?”
Tennessee 4, LSU 2
Tennessee erased a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night, and the Volunteers defeated LSU 4-2 in Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Tennessee starting pitcher Chad Dallas (11-1) earned the win, limiting the Tigers to two runs — one earned — on five hits in six innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts.
“It was a great ball game,” Mainieri said in a news release. “Dallas threw an awful lot of sliders, and we just didn’t have an answer for them. We just had a tough time making contact against him.”
LSU reliever Javen Coleman (3-2) suffered the loss as he allowed three runs on three hits in three innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Right-hander Ma’Khail Hilliard started for the Tigers and limited Tennessee to one run on three hits in five innings with six strikeouts.
“Ma’Khail and Javen were both terrific tonight,” Mainieri said in the release. “There was that one crazy inning where there was only one hard-hit ball, but Tennessee was able to scratch across three runs.”
Tennessee reliever Sean Hunley earned his ninth save of the year as he fired three shutout innings and surrendered three hits and recorded four strikeouts.
LSU opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when third baseman Cade Doughty launched a solo homer, his 13th of the year.
Tennessee tied the game in the bottom of the third when Beck doubled, moved to third on a groundout by designated hitter Pete Derkay and scored on Pavolony’s RBI grounder.
LSU regained the lead in the fifth when centerfielder Drew Bianco scored when Pavolony’s errant throw to third skipped into left field.
The Volunteers, however, scored three runs in the sixth against Coleman as centerfielder Drew Gilbert and first baseman Luc Lipcius provided RBI groundouts, and Beck delivered a run-scoring single.
LSU threatened in the ninth with runners at second and third with two outs, but Hunley struck out shortstop Jordan Thompson to end the game.
“We had a chance there in the ninth,” Mainieri said, in the release, “but we just couldn’t get the hit to tie the ball game.”