Tennessee tops Wake Forest 11-5 in Knoxville Regional

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    KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Manny Marin’s two-out, three-run homer and Andrew Fischer’s subsequent two-run shot catalyzed a commanding seven-run fourth inning, propelling No. 14 seed and reigning champion Tennessee to an 11-5 victory against Wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional late Monday.

    This victory secures the Volunteers (46-17) a spot in the super regionals, where they will face No. 3 seed Arkansas (46-13) in a best-of-three series, vying for a College World Series berth.

    Initially, Wake Forest took a 2-0 advantage after Luke Costello’s one-out single and Matt Conte’s two-out homer off Tennessee’s starter AJ Russell in the second inning. However, the Vols quickly overturned the Deacons’ lead. Reliever Zach Johnston (2-2) replaced the bases-loaded pitcher in the third, keeping the Vols’ damage to one run. Yet in the fourth, after walking two, Johnston conceded an RBI single to Reese Chapman, leveling the score at 2-2.

    Duncan Marsten took the mound and immediately threw a wild pitch, allowing Tennessee to take the lead. With Levi Clark getting hit by a pitch for the second time, Marin capitalized with a homer from the ninth lineup spot, launching the Vols to a 5-2 lead. Fischer joined the party with a single from Gavin Kilen, which preceded his own homer to right field, stretching Tennessee’s advantage to 8-2.

    Wake Forest’s Matt Scannell responded with a two-run homer in the fifth, and Austin Hawkes narrowed the lead further with a sixth-inning RBI single, bringing the score to 8-5. Yet, Tennessee extended their lead again when Dean Curley drove in two runs in the seventh and Kilen added an RBI double in the eighth inning.

    Reliever Brayden Krenzel (3-0) secured the win for Tennessee, while Liam Doyle pitched the final seven outs, marking his first save.

    Tennessee continues its quest, aiming for an eighth College World Series appearance after lifting the trophy for the first time last year. The Volunteers, a historic name in the sport, were last runners-up back in 1951.