Tennessee baseball piles on Campbell late, sets program record for wins

Cortland Lawson knew it.

The Tennessee baseball shortstop dropped the bat in front of him and jogged toward first as the final blow of the night sailed toward right field. Lawson’s three-run homer — Tennessee’s fourth and the seventh of the game against Campbell — landed in the UT bullpen.

The No. 1 Vols (55-7) piled on the Fighting Camels (41-18) with four ninth-inning runs to win 12-7 and advance to the Knoxville Regional final.

“If you were fortunate enough to have a ticket tonight, you got your money’s worth," Vols coach Tony Vitello said. "That was a fight.”

UT's 55 wins are a program record, topping the 1995 team's 54 wins.

Tennessee will face the winner of Campbell and No. 2 seed Georgia Tech (35-23) on Sunday (7 p.m. ET). The Fighting Camels and Yellow Jackets play at 2 p.m.

“We are going to see them (Sunday)," Campbell shortstop Zach Neto said.

UT scored four ninth-inning runs. Lawson’s homer followed a two-out, pinch-hit single from Christian Moore to extend UT’s lead to 9-7.

"For him to come in off the bench and scrap it out and put a good swing on a good pitch and bring in that first run, that all started with him," center fielder Drew Gilbert said.

Blake Burke, another freshman, had a solo homer an inning earlier to give UT a two-run lead.

Kirby Connell pitched big in relief

Connell entered with the bases loaded in the third. He got a flyout to left to end the inning and stop the damage.

The senior lefty threw a career-high 65 pitches across four innings. He allowed a two-run homer to Campbell's Drake Pierson in the seventh, his first runs allowed since May 6 at Kentucky.

“We expected a dogfight," Connell said. "We have noticed what they have done throughout the season.”

He surrendered three hits and walked two with four strikeouts.

Tennessee slugged its way back

The Vols fell behind by four after three innings. It didn’t trail for long.

“It goes back to a mentality he has instilled in us and that is just punch back," Gilbert said.

Gilbert lofted a one-out double in the fourth and scored on a Trey Lipscomb single. Jorel Ortega followed with a two-run homer, his second homer of the regional.

Gilbert provided another big hit an inning later to put the Vols in front 6-4 when he mashed a three-run homer. UT added another on an Ortega chopper that scored Lipscomb from third after he was hit by a pitch following Gilbert’s homer.

Pair of pivotal moments

Chase Burns came in with two outs in the eighth to replace Connell. He loaded the bases with a hit by pitch, infield single and a walk. But he ended the inning with a strikeout, getting Lawson Harrill swinging at an inside fastball to keep UT ahead 7-6.

Campbell ran itself out of an inning in the fourth. The Fighting Camels had runners on the corners and tried to force Connell to balk when the runner from third tried to steal home. Connell stepped off and threw to catcher Charlie Taylor, who got the runner in a rundown before Lipscomb applied the tag.

Campbell coach Justin Haire said that is a play that the Fighting Camels have used before.

"We are not going to sit back," Haire said.

Chase Dollander struggled in NCAA Tournament debut

Chase Dollander had three strikeouts in two innings before his outing went into a tailspin in the third.

Campbell batted around against the UT ace in the third, scoring four runs to take a 4-0 lead. Dollander allowed six hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts. He walked two in the third, including the batter that ended his outing with the bases loaded and two outs. The Fighting Camels worked Dollander into deep counts with 24 foul balls among his 70 pitches.

The sophomore All-American turned in three straight quality starts prior to Saturday.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball piles on Campbell to reach Knoxville Regional final