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Mack Whitcomb felt his teammates clawing at his jersey until they had completely removed it from his body and thrown it on to Hawkins Field.
Not until that point did the Vanderbilt baseball junior catcher realize his walk-off squeeze bunt had lifted the Commodores to a 6-5 win over Tennessee on March 28 in a series-record 16 innings.
“It was just like, ‘Holy smokes. It went down,’ ” said Whitcomb, a transfer from Tennessee Tech. “I heard contact, I felt the bat hit the ball and I just ran as hard as I could.”
Vanderbilt (16-12, 4-4 SEC) clinched the in-state rivals’ annual SEC series for the second year in a row, coming just shy of the program record for longest game by innings. The Commodores played 17 in 2010, when current hitting coach Jason Esposito delivered a walk-off home run to left field in an 11-10 win over Louisville.
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Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin recalled that moment but said he couldn’t wait any longer for someone to replicate it against Tennessee (18-9, 3-5).
Corbin inserted Whitcomb late in the game, aggressively called a double steal in the bottom of the 16th to move runners to second and third and let Whitcomb do the rest. Rustan Rigdon scored from third base.
“It’s been about eight years since I got a bunt call,” Whitcomb said. “But shoutout Illinois Y Axis. That was my travel ball team. All we worked on was small ball . . . So I went back 8 years ago and got that bunt down.”
It was the longest game by innings for Tennessee in program history. The Volunteers’ record was 12.
“I think when you get into the 12th, 13th and 14th (inning) the fans are punch drunk. So they’ve got a decision to make,” Corbin said. “It’s either let’s just get the hell out of here and watch the rest on TV at home, or I'm hungry as hell, I've got to go to the bathroom. But some of them waited it out.”
Auburn and Florida own the record for longest game by innings between two SEC teams, playing 20 in 1972.
Vanderbilt and Tennessee played for 4 hours and 44 minutes, each going through five pitchers. The teams combined for 23 hits.
“We haven’t had a lot of one-run ball games. To be part of them helps. To win them really helps,” Corbin said. “That was a really hard ballgame. There was a lot of emotion.”
Vandy’s bullpen was already on thin ice with five pitchers unavailable going into the series, including top pitcher Austin Nye. The Commodores gave up a five-run sixth inning but otherwise limited Tennessee’s offense.
Vanderbilt freshman Tyler Baird threw from the seventh through 11th innings, surrendering just two hits.
The Commodores defeated Tennessee 3-2 in 10 innings in Game 1. The series will conclude at 11 a.m. CT March 29 at Hawkins Field.
Outside of about three guys, just about anyone is eligible to pitch the finale.
“If they're breathing and they’ve got an arm,” Corbin said, “they’re available.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee baseball, Vanderbilt set series record with 16-inning game
Continue reading...
Not until that point did the Vanderbilt baseball junior catcher realize his walk-off squeeze bunt had lifted the Commodores to a 6-5 win over Tennessee on March 28 in a series-record 16 innings.
“It was just like, ‘Holy smokes. It went down,’ ” said Whitcomb, a transfer from Tennessee Tech. “I heard contact, I felt the bat hit the ball and I just ran as hard as I could.”
Vanderbilt (16-12, 4-4 SEC) clinched the in-state rivals’ annual SEC series for the second year in a row, coming just shy of the program record for longest game by innings. The Commodores played 17 in 2010, when current hitting coach Jason Esposito delivered a walk-off home run to left field in an 11-10 win over Louisville.
More: Vanderbilt basketball extends Mark Byington after North Carolina interest
More: How Vanderbilt OC evaluated Jared Curtis' spring football practice so far
Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin recalled that moment but said he couldn’t wait any longer for someone to replicate it against Tennessee (18-9, 3-5).
Corbin inserted Whitcomb late in the game, aggressively called a double steal in the bottom of the 16th to move runners to second and third and let Whitcomb do the rest. Rustan Rigdon scored from third base.
“It’s been about eight years since I got a bunt call,” Whitcomb said. “But shoutout Illinois Y Axis. That was my travel ball team. All we worked on was small ball . . . So I went back 8 years ago and got that bunt down.”
It was the longest game by innings for Tennessee in program history. The Volunteers’ record was 12.
“I think when you get into the 12th, 13th and 14th (inning) the fans are punch drunk. So they’ve got a decision to make,” Corbin said. “It’s either let’s just get the hell out of here and watch the rest on TV at home, or I'm hungry as hell, I've got to go to the bathroom. But some of them waited it out.”
Auburn and Florida own the record for longest game by innings between two SEC teams, playing 20 in 1972.
Vanderbilt and Tennessee played for 4 hours and 44 minutes, each going through five pitchers. The teams combined for 23 hits.
“We haven’t had a lot of one-run ball games. To be part of them helps. To win them really helps,” Corbin said. “That was a really hard ballgame. There was a lot of emotion.”
Vandy’s bullpen was already on thin ice with five pitchers unavailable going into the series, including top pitcher Austin Nye. The Commodores gave up a five-run sixth inning but otherwise limited Tennessee’s offense.
Vanderbilt freshman Tyler Baird threw from the seventh through 11th innings, surrendering just two hits.
The Commodores defeated Tennessee 3-2 in 10 innings in Game 1. The series will conclude at 11 a.m. CT March 29 at Hawkins Field.
Outside of about three guys, just about anyone is eligible to pitch the finale.
“If they're breathing and they’ve got an arm,” Corbin said, “they’re available.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee baseball, Vanderbilt set series record with 16-inning game
Continue reading...
