Tennessee baseball eliminated by VCU in NCAA regional

VCU’s Nate Kirkpatrick sealed the Rams’ 5-4 victory over No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Chapel Hill Regional elimination game on May 30 at Boshamer Stadium. With Tennessee reliever Brady Frederick one strike away from escaping a bases-loaded jam, Kirkpatrick hit a two-run double off the fifth pitch, driving in two critical runs. The Rams (38-24) advanced to face the loser of the No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 3 seed East Carolina game on May 31. Tennessee (38-22) had early momentum, scoring two runs in the third inning on Reese Chapman’s home run, but VCU tied the game and later took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. The Volunteers’ struggles with runners in scoring position continued, as they went 0-for-7 in high-leverage situations. VCU starter Elias Holbert dominated, striking out 10 batters. Tennessee’s ace Tegan Kuhns, who had pitched a strong outing after a grueling 14-inning loss to East Carolina the previous day, ran into trouble in the third and fourth innings. After allowing runs, he was relieved by Frederick, who later loaded the bases but couldn’t prevent Kirkpatrick’s game-breaking hit. The Volunteers cut VCU’s lead to 5-4 in the sixth and eighth innings, with Stone Lawless hitting a home run and a sacrifice fly. However, Tennessee’s late threats in the eighth and ninth innings—including runners on third—were snuffed out by groundouts and flyouts, ending their season. VCU’s win advances them to another elimination game, while Tennessee’s season concludes after the regional loss.