Tennessee's Christian Moore named MVP of Clemson Regional
Tennessee baseball second baseman Christian Moore was named the MVP of the Clemson Regional and three other Vols were named to the Regional All-Tournament team after the Vols won the regional with a 9-2 win over Charlotte on Sunday.
Moore, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound sophomore, finished the weekend with four home runs, two doubles, eight RBI and six runs scored, going 7-for-11 at the plate.
He homered twice in the win on Sunday, Tennessee’s second over Charlotte in the Clemson Regional. The Vols beat the 49ers 8-1 Friday night, then took down host and No. 4 national seed Clemson 6-5 in a 14-inning thriller Saturday night.
Vols won three games in three days, rolling through Clemson Regional
Charlotte beat Clemson 3-2 Sunday afternoon to setup the rematch with Tennessee, but the Vols had a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning and added two more in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth to cruise to the Super Regional round for a third straight year. Moore was 2-for-2 in the game with three runs scored and four RBI.
Other Vols who were named to the All-Tournament Team were third baseman Zane Denton, designated hitter Griffin Merritt and pitcher Andrew Lindsey.
Denton hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning against Clemson Saturday night. He erased the 4-2 deficit on a 2-2 count with two outs, after falling behind 0-2 to start the at-bat.
Clemson scored in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, but Tennessee’s Hunter Ensley doubled in the 14th to score Maui Ahuna from first for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Moore homered in the fourth inning in the win over Clemson and finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Denton homered twice in the win, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
Up Next: Tennessee vs. Southern Miss/Penn, Super Regional
Lindsey got the Vols started Friday night, setting the tone for the weekend by scatter five hits and giving up just one earned run over 7.0 innings pitched. He struck out 10 on 116 pitches, throwing 75 strikes.
Moore doubled and homered Friday night against Charlotte, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Denton homered in the win Sunday, going 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Others on the Regional All-Tournament Team included Clemson catcher Cooper Ingle, Clemson first baseman and pitcher Caden Grice, Charlotte shortstop Jack Dragum, Lipscomb outfielder Alex Vergara, Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella and Clemson outfielder Will Taylor.
