HOOVER, Ala. – No. 14/21 Tennessee battled back from a four-run deficit before pulling out a dramatic 7-5 victory in extra innings over No. 2/2 Texas in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Hoover Met.
Gavin Kilen provided the game-winning hit with a two-run double in the top of the 12th inning. The junior shortstop also hit a go-ahead homer in the top of the 10th inning and finished with a game-high three RBIs.
Brandon Arvidson had a career-day on the mound, as well, holding the top-seeded Longhorns (42-12) to just one unearned run on four hits while striking out nine in 5.1 dominant innings of relief.
Nate Snead earned the win after tossing 2.2 shutout frames in extras, including back-to-back strikeouts to strand the potential winning run on second base in the bottom of the 10th.
Texas jumped out to an early lead with a run in the bottom of the first before extending their advantage to four with a three-run fourth inning to chase Vols’ starting pitcher Liam Doyle.
UT responded in a big way with a 4-0 scoring run of its own over the next two innings to tie things up, plating a pair of runs each in the fifth and sixth.
The Vols (43-15) took advantage of an error by the Longhorns’ shortstop on a potential inning-ending double play ball and scored two runs one batter later on a bloop single from Cannon Peebles.
The Big Orange loaded the bases again in the sixth and cut the deficit to one on a Dean Curley RBI walk before tying the game on a sacrifice fly by Reese Chapman.
After three scoreless innings for both teams, UT struck first in extras on Kilen’s 15th homer of the year, but Texas responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to extend the game.
Following a scoreless 11th inning, a leadoff walk by Levi Clark, single by Peebles and sacrifice bunt by Manny Marin set the stage for Kilen’s two-run double to put the Vols ahead 7-5.
Snead got three straight flyouts to center field in the bottom of the 12th to slam the door and send Tennessee into Saturday’s semifinals.
A+ for Arvidson
Arvidson was incredible out of the bullpen for the Big Orange, setting career highs in innings pitched (5.1) and strikeouts (nine), holding the Texas lineup in check while Tennessee made its comeback.
Another Hoover Run
Thursday’s victory marked UT’s sixth straight win in Hoover. The Vols will make their fourth SEC Tournament semifinal appearance in the past five years on Saturday (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025).
Up Next
Tennessee plays No. 4 seed Vanderbilt on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
