HOOVER, Ala. — Tennessee baseball is heading to the SEC Tournament title game for the second year in a row after beating Kentucky 12-2 in the semifinals that started on Saturday and leaked into Sunday morning.
The right fielder got the scoring started with a triple in the first inning. He scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat.
In the fourth inning, third baseman Trey Lipscomb hit an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0.
Kentucky second baseman Daniel Harris hit an RBI double in the fifth inning to make it 2-1. The Wildcats tied the game on a wild pitch that Harris would score on, even though the batter struck out swinging on the pitch for what would have been the third out. Shortstop Ryan Ritter, who was the batter, made it to first safely without getting thrown out after that wild pitch.
The Vols retook the lead with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning. Second baseman Jorel Ortega was hit by a pitch and that brought a run home to make it 3-2. Minutes late, Beck scored again on another wild pitch.
Later in the inning with the bases loaded again, shortstop Cortland Lawson drove in two more runs with a double to make it 6-2 and Tennessee put the game away from there.
Jared Dickey, who had not played since April 23 due to a foot fracture, came in to pinch-hit in the ninth inning. He hit a single.
Lipcius and pinch-runner Christian Scott scored in the top of the ninth inning on a fielding error from Kentucky to make it 8-2. Lipscomb has a sacrifice fly in the inning to score Gilbert to make it 9-2.
As the designated hitter, Blake Burke hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning to make it 12-2.
Tennessee lost to Arkansas in the championship game last season. If they win this season, it would be their first SEC Tournament title in the tourney's current format. They won in the older format in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
The Vols will play rival Florida for the championship on Sunday. The first pitch is set for 3 p.n.
