Nichols: In Clover Crushing, Tennessee Gives Itself — and Drew Gilbert — At Least One More Shot

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tony Vitello had a troublesome dialog with Drew Gilbert earlier than Recreation 2 between Tennessee and Notre Dame.

After the Vols’ pregame meal, he needed to remind Gilbert — who was ejected on Friday and needed to miss Saturday’s recreation too because of this — that he couldn’t be on the premises any longer.

“That was enjoyable,” stated Vitello. “I received the look I think about plenty of our opponents have gotten.”

Had both of them recognized what was forward on Saturday, that dialog won’t have been as fulfilling.

And Gilbert’s look, fairly than being a easy dagger-eyed glare, might have shot precise lasers by means of the MVP Room inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

As a result of Gilbert didn’t simply miss a Tennessee win, which introduced the Vols off the mat of their Tremendous Regional in opposition to Notre Dame. 

He additionally missed a second he most likely would have loved — when Mike Honcho swung his means right into a full Rob Gronkowski landing celebration.

After hammering a three-run shot within the fifth inning in opposition to Notre Dame, Jordan Beck strutted out of the batter’s field, spiked his bat on the turf — so intensely, by the way in which, that it bounced shoulder-high — and screamed towards Tennessee’s dugout.

It didn’t matter that neither Gilbert nor pitching coach Frank Anderson have been there to yell again — the Vols have been removed from accomplished.

Evan Russell slammed a solo shot for a 6-0 lead and the thirty ninth residence run of his profession, passing Todd Helton to turn into the brand new residence run chief at Tennessee.

Then, Luc Lipcius — who had led off the inning with a house run for a 2-0 benefit and the thirty eighth residence run of his profession — went yard once more to tie himself with Russell.

“Fairly cool a pair outdated guys are on the high,” quipped Lipcius afterward.

Previous guys or not, Tennessee dominated. Eight runs. Seven hits. One lengthy fifth inning.

Spherical and spherical and spherical they went, the Vols hitting homers and the Irish having no reply in a 12-4, clover-crushing onslaught — that was by no means as shut as the ultimate rating confirmed, by the way in which — to power a pivotal Recreation 3 with a Faculty World Sequence berth on the road.

Notre Dame began its ace, John Michael Bertrand. And he was annihilated.

Tennessee subbed Seth Stephenson for Gilbert in middle. And Stephenson was nice.

However he wasn’t any higher on offense than Chase Dollander was on protection. The Georgia Southern switch — who recommended Anderson final week, but thrived even with out him Saturday — was good for a full 112 pitches in seven innings with 5 strikeouts and solely two earned runs.

“My mindset was the identical it has been all season,” Dollander stated. “Throw strikes and provides the offense an opportunity to do what they do.”

Take into account that half accomplished.

Up subsequent? What ought to be a raucous Recreation 3 between Tennessee and Notre Dame, the winner set to go to Omaha.

Close to the tip of Saturday’s UT win, a four-syllable chant broke out: “FREE DREW GIL-BERT! FREE DREW GIL-BERT!”

The Vols’ pupil part was loud and proud on Saturday, simply because it was on Friday.

However when Gilbert digs into the batter’s field on 

“I feel the gang goes to go berserk when Drew Gilbert will get that first AB tomorrow,” stated Lipcius, who added that the Vols “do it for him” and “need to see him play once more.”

Maybe nobody will likely be extra excited, although, than Vitello himself.

Not simply with the kind of giddiness he felt on Saturday when he was tasked with telling Gilbert to go away.

However as a result of, for at the very least yet another day, Vitello will get to look at Gilbert — his on-field twin — play baseball in a Tennessee uniform.

“Write no matter you need,” Vitello stated on the topic. “I am unable to put it into phrases.”

Cowl photograph through Jake Nichols