Tennessee hits go-ahead home run with two outs, two strikes in 9th inning against Clemson
Other than being the top, and not the bottom, of the ninth inning, it was the cliche scenario every kid cooks up in their head while swinging a bat in the backyard. But it was quite real for Tennessee’s Zane Denton.
Standing in the batters box in the top of the ninth inning against Clemson on Saturday in the winners bracket of the Clemson Regional, the Vols were down to their last gasp. Trailing by a pair of runs, and with two strikes in the count, Denton was at risk of squandering the baserunners on the corners.
He smashed the 2-2 pitch out to left field and gave Tennessee a 5-4 lead.
It was Denton’s second home run of the game, as he blasted a solo shot earlier in the game. Not many better days than the one he’s having in the batters box.
Unfortunately for the Volunteers, the lead didn’t stick, as Clemson tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Tigers couldn’t plate any more runs and the pair of teams headed to extras.
If nothing else, it’s one more inning for these teams to trade body blows as they try to get in the drivers seat of the regional.
Tennessee took a 1-0 lead off a solo homer from someone other than Denton
It took a while for the offenses to break through in the winners bracket of the Clemson Regional on Saturday as the hosts faced Tennessee. Then Christian Moore stepped into the box for Tennessee.
With the bases empty in the top of the fourth inning, Moore took an inside pitch and crushed it out to left field. So far his solo shot is the only scoring of the game, giving the Vols a 1-0 lead.
And he was one of the few hitters able to best Clemson starter Caden Grice on Saturday.
The winner of the Clemson-Tennessee contest will be in the drivers seat to win the regional, needing just one victory to get over the hump. The loser, on the other hand, will have to win three in a row to even get to a Super Regional.
But Clemson, a team that at one point looked dead in the water this season, is no strangers to trying turn things around. The Tigers have overcome a lot this season, so a one-run deficit shouldn’t be too daunting.