Tennessee’s season appeared to be dead in the water in the top of the fourth inning of Monday’s elimination game against Stanford in Omaha.
Trailing 4-0 and facing an early Men’s College World Series exit, the Volunteers pulled likely first-round pick pitcher Chase Dollander. It’s been an inconsistent year for Dollander, and it was not his best start.
He allowed four runs with just two strikeouts, lasting only three innings with his team playing for its season. With the situation looking dire, Tennessee turned to sophomore reliever Chase Burns to try and stop the bleeding.
Burns did a lot more than that.
He finished the game, closing out the final six innings. He allowed just two hits with no runs or walks, retiring nine batters via strikeout.
Chase Burns bringin' the HEAT! 🔥#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/q7BZn1OlMN
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 19, 2023
What an incredible relief performance by @Vol_Baseball RHP Chase Burns. Burns saved the #Vols season with nine strikeouts in six shutout frames out of the pen. He got up to 100-101 with the fastball and had the trademark nasty slider. UT wins 6-4. #MCWS
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 19, 2023
His performance sparked the Tennessee bats, which chased Stanford’s Quinn Mathews from the game in the fifth, preventing him from repeating the 156-pitch, 16-strikeout complete game that kept the Cardinal alive in the super regional.
The Vols scored four runs in the fifth to tie the game, and they would take the lead in the seventh with two more. They never looked back en route to a 6-4 win to remain alive in the CWS.
THE VOLS WIN THE BALLGAME!!!#GBO // #OTH // #BeatStanford pic.twitter.com/XNboVREBK1
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 19, 2023
Stanford is heading home, while Tennessee will have to battle for its postseason life yet again on Tuesday against the loser of Monday’s nightcap between No. 1 Wake Forest and No. 5 LSU.
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