OMAHA, Nebraska — Tennessee baseball advanced to the College World Series Finals with a 7-2 win over Florida State on Wednesday at Charles Schwab Field.
The Vols got a walk from Christian Moore and then a single from Blake Burke that advanced Moore to third base. Billy Amick then came up to bat and reached on a fielder's choice that scored Moore as Burke was out at second base. Tennessee went up 1-0.
After Dreiling drew a walk to get runners on first and second base, Hunter Ensley singled to left field to score Amick from second base, making the score 2-0.
Dreiling would advance to third later in the inning with two outs. Florida State tried to pick off Kavares Tears. It ended up being a throwing error, which allowed Dreiling to score and put UT up 3-0.
Ensley didn't play in center field after his incredible catch in the win over North Carolina where he crashed into the wall. Tears started in center field and made an incredible catch of his own crashing into the wall to make a catch in the bottom of the first inning.
UT added to their lead in the top of the second inning. With Moore on second base, Burke singled to bring him home to increase the lead to 4-0
In the bottom of the third inning, Florida State had runners on second and third base with no outs. On a fielder's choice, Dean Curley threw the runner out at home as Cal Stark put down the tag for the first out. With runners on first and third base, the Vols turned a double play to get out of danger to keep a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, Moore hit his second triple in three games at the College World Series to score Stark from first base to put UT up 5-0.
In the seventh inning, Amick hit a double and then Dreiling brought him home with a single to make the score 6-0.
FSU trimmed the lead to 6-1 with a solo home run from Daniel Cantuin in the bottom of the seventh inning. They'd go back-to-back solo home runs when Alex Lodise hit one in the next at-bat to make the score 6-2.
That would be the end of Zander Siecrest's day. He tied a career-high with innings pitched with 6.1. He allowed five hits, two runs and had three strikeouts. Kirby Connell came in after him.
In the top of the eighth inning, the Vols had a runner on first and third base with Moore up to bat, he grounded out to end the eighth inning.
Tennessee added to their lead in the top of the ninth inning. Burke hit a solo home run to put the Vols up 7-2 He was the fifth Vol to hit for 20 home runs this season.
UT turned a double play in the bottom of the eighth inning to get the first two outs getting the runner out on first base at second and then turning the double play at first. Connell dialed up a strikeout after that.
The Vols are in the College World Series Finals for the first time since 1951. They will play Texas A&M starting on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.