Tennessee baseball bests Vanderbilt, advances to SEC Tournament title game vs LSU
HOOVER, Ala. − Tennessee baseball will play for another SEC championship Sunday.
The Vols are going to the SEC Tournament title game, besting Vanderbilt in a semifinal matchup Saturday and reaching the final game of the conference tournament for the third time in the past four seasons.
No. 1 seed Tennessee got a quality start from Zander Sechrist and a mammoth two-run home run from Christian Moore to beat No. 8 seed Vanderbilt 6-4 at Hoover Met.
Tennessee (49-11) faces No. 11 LSU (40-20) in the SEC Tournament title game Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2). UT won the SEC Tournament in 2022 for the first time since 1995. It also played in the title game in 2021. The Vols could sweep the SEC titles with a win Sunday, pairing the conference tournament with a share of the regular-season title.
The Vols swept the Tigers in a regular-season series in April at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols hold a 3-2 record against the Commodores (38-21) this season. UT won the regular-season series in Vanderbilt by winning the first two games. It lost to the Commodores in the series finale and in its first game in the SEC Tournament.
Zander Sechrist has turned in back-to-back quality starts
Sechrist had only thrown six innings in a start once in his career before his final regular-season start against South Carolina. He covered six scoreless against the Gamecocks to help UT clinch a share of the SEC regular-season title.
The left-handed pitcher turned in a second straight quality start. He allowed two runs on four hits with a walk in six innings. Sechrist struck out five and saved the bulk of the Tennessee bullpen in the process.
Marcus Phillips showed something
Marcus Phillips earned his third save this season, covering the final three innings. The sophomore escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by inducing a groundout back to the mound. He got out of a two-on, no-out situation in the ninth, allowing only one run to score.
Cannon Peebles was productive as Tony Vitello shuffled the lineup
Vols coach Tony Vitello shuffled the Tennessee lineup to give other players a look Saturday. Cannon Peebles got the start at catcher and made the most of it.
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Peebles hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth then roped singles in the sixth and eighth.
UT also started Ariel Antigua at shortstop and Dalton Bargo at third base. Billy Amick started as the designated hitter.
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: Tennessee baseball beats Vanderbilt, advances to SEC Tournament title game
