Tennessee Upset No. 1 Texas in 12th Inning

A much-anticipated orange matchup occurred on Thursday afternoon, as the Longhorns took to the field for the first time in Hoover. But when the need for action called, the Volunteers won 7-5 in 12 innings of overtime.

Texas struck first in the bottom of the first inning, scoring one run, and then went through two scoreless innings. Striking again quickly in the bottom of the fourth, it looked almost over for the Volunteers in the quarterfinals.

But something strange happened in the top of the fifth inning. Home plate umpire Jason Bradley had to leave the game after being struck in the mask by a foul ball and taken into concussion protocol, causing the game to go into delay. While the delay was happening, Texas took a pitching change to Grayson Saunier.

"It's a big deal to play Texas, and every series, every win is a big deal," said Tony Vitello. "I think today they were enjoying playing another game, and it just happened to be a phenomenal team like Texas."

After the game restarted, the Tennessee bats came alive, starting with a single from Cannon Peebles that was able to bring a pair back to the dugout. Putting the first runs on the board for Tennessee of the night, was this weird break the start of the Tennessee rally?

The simple answer: yes.

The Texas bullpen was holding solid after Ethan Walker allowed one hit, two runs and only three strikeouts. That didn't seem to transfer between pitchers, and then the bullpen began to fall apart and allow hits. However, Volunteers pitcher Brandon Arvidson kept the Longhorn bats stalled, and after two walks for the Volunteers, the game became tied in the sixth inning.

After another two scoreless innings for both teams, going into the ninth inning, the pressure was on for someone to make a big move and make it fast to secure a spot in the semifinals, bringing it one step closer to the championship game on Sunday afternoon.

With eight hits, the Longhorns took advantage of the small hits, working to get them on base. However, they didn't seem to bring it home due to striking out. They never left any runners on base, and in the bottom of the ninth, still tied, Arvidson brought down all three that came up, sending the game into a 10th-inning overtime.

As Gavin Kilen steps into the box with two outs, he stands ready with two strikes. He swings that bat, and the ball is gone. That is his 15th homer of the year, making the new score 5-4, with the Volunteers answering the call to make the first overtime move.

"Making sure to see breaking balls, and pay attention to scouting reports," said Gavin Kilen. "Just making sure I was doing my job to help us win."

The Met Stadium is all on its feet now as a lead is taken for the first time in four innings, but just as quickly as the Volunteers struck, the Longhorns struck back just as fast, plating one in the bottom of the 10th due to a single that tied the game up again.

Again, in the 11th, a scoreless inning after two runners from Texas were left stranded, but in the top of the 12th, Kilen takes to the box after another Texas pitching change with two men on base. One crack of the bat, the ball soared to the walls of center field and plated two more runners, bringing the new score to 7-5 going into the bottom of the 12th.

The Met's energy was electric, and just as three batters from Texas came up, three quickly came down, leading to a Tennessee Volunteer upset that moved them into the semifinals on Saturday, May 24.