Tennessee baseball still had a chance to win its College World Series opener with two out in the last inning against Florida State. Given all that had gone wrong for UT at Charles Schwab Field on Friday, that possibility in itself was remarkable.

The Vols had made too many fielding mistakes by then. Tennessee coach Tony Vitello had gone through too many pitchers by then.

Yet there they were − in position to a tie game that seemingly belonged to the Seminoles. Then, in the most high-pressure at-bat of first baseman Blake Burke’s distinguished career, he delivered a heroic two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 11-11.

Just pulling even after being down by five runs was an accomplishment, particularly against a team as talented as Florida State. But the Vols weren’t done.

Billy Amick followed with a single, setting up Dylan Dreiling for a game-winning base hit in a 12-11 victory.

And just like that, the Vols surged into the winner’s bracket of the CWS.

They didn’t just overcome Florida State. They overcame their own recent history.

Vitello has led a baseball revival in his seven seasons at Tennessee. He has led three of his past four teams into the CWS. But college baseball’s biggest stage hasn’t been kind to the Vols, who won only once in their previous five CWS games under Vitello.

Friday’s game at times looked like more of the same. Beating Florida State seemingly would have been difficult enough. But the Vols were beating themselves.

They made three errors, and that didn’t account for all their fielding lapses. Vitello went through six pitchers, who combined to walk nine batters.

Florida State's robust lineup didn’t need help. Nonetheless, the Vols played much of the game as though they weren’t intent on giving the Seminoles a helping hand.

That’s why they fell behind 9-4. That’s why they were trailing by three runs before they unleashed one of the greatest comebacks in school history.

Before the comeback, I could imagine the Tennessee fan base bracing itself for another disappointment – not just in baseball, but in other sports with championship implications. They have suffered through those dreadful big-game finishes in baseball, basketball, and football.

In fact, they are more familiar with the other side of dramatic outcomes.

Winning in such fashion doesn’t mean the Vols are destined to win their first national championship in school history. But after the way they won against Florida State, would you bet against them?

Tennessee demonstrated a formidable combination of defense, pitching and hitting to win 55 of its first 66 games, win the SEC regular-season and tournament championships, and claim the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But one out of three was good enough this time.

Never mind the early miscues or all the pitchers whose struggles to find the strike zone made you wonder if home plate were moving as they released the ball.

The Vols did what they do best. They hit. And they hit in a park that so often turns potential home runs into outs.

Moore was the hitting star. No surprise there. He has been a hitting star ever since he started as a freshman for the Vols’ 57-9 team in 2022.

ADAMS: College World Series worth watching even if you aren't a Tennessee baseball fan

He outdid himself against Florida State, becoming only the second player in CWS history to hit for the cycle. He hit a home run, triple, two doubles and that crucial ninth-inning single.

Burke didn’t hit like that. But he was just as clutch when the game was hanging in the balance. Ironically, both Moore and Burke made errors when Florida State was building an early 9-4 lead.

No one will remember those errors.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball beats odds, its history, FSU in College World Series