Tony Vitello weighs in on Tennessee's decision to hold runner at third against LSU

Tony Vitello agreed with his third-base coach, Josh Elander. Throwing up the stop sign for catcher Cal Stark at third base in the fifth inning Tuesday night against LSU in the College World Series was the right call.

“Normally with two outs and a double you’ve got to (send the runner) — but it wasn’t there,” Vitello said after Tennessee’s season-ending 5-0 loss. “And if you look at the Jumbotron to double-check, it wasn’t there.” 

Tennessee trailed LSU 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth in the elimination game at Charles Schwab Field, with baserunners at a premium against LSU starter Nate Ackenhausen. Stark reached after being hit by a pitch and Maui Ahuna followed by shooting a double deep to the gap in left-center field.

The ball was played at the base of the wall and the throw was cut off in shallow left field. 

Elander, Tennessee’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, held Stark at third, giving the Vols two runners in scoring position with two outs and Hunter Ensley coming to the plate.

Ensley took two balls to start the following at-bat, then flied out to right field on the third pitch, ending the threat.

Saturday night in the 6-3 loss to LSU that sent Tennessee to the elimination bracket, Ensley went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, getting the Vols back in the game with a two-run home run in the eighth. He was the only Tennessee player with multiple hits in the game. 

“We’ve got a good hitter coming up next who had a heck of a night the first time we played these guys,” Vitello said of Ensley, “and just (had) a little bit of difficulty tonight.”

Vols went 0-5 with runners in scoring position, left nine on base in loss to LSU

Later Tuesday night Ensley grounded out to first to leave the bases loaded in the seventh, with Tennessee trailing 2-0.

On Monday afternoon against Stanford, Tennessee was threatening in the first inning with runners on second and third and only one out. Griffin Merritt flied out to left field and Elander sent Ahuna home from third, but the throw beat him to the plate and Stanford was out of the inning after the double play.

In the fifth, with Stanford leading 4-0, Elander sent Zane Denton home on after another fly ball to left field. He dove in just ahead of the tag, scoring the first of four runs scored by the Vols in the inning to tie the game. 

Tennessee scored two more in the top of the seventh in the 6-4 comeback win to keep the season alive.

“Coach ‘E’ had a difficult challenge yesterday,” Vitello said of the Stanford game, “because there was one play where you just got to send the guy and make them play catch, and the wind keeps blowing the ball in and they do (get the out at home).

“Then he’s got to send the other guy,” Vitello said of Denton tagging and scoring. “And Zane, gosh, love him, he kind of got his feet tangled up a little bit and made it closer than maybe it should have. Then you get another difficult decision there.”

Tony Vitello: ‘These kids are running around out there pouring their hearts out onto the field”

After Ensley’s fly out to leave Stark stranded at third, LSU started the top of the sixth with a Tre’ Morgan double. Gavin Dugas then laid a bunt down the third-base line, but Denton threw wide to first after charging in to make the play on the ball, allowing Morgan make the turn at third and score.

Just like that, LSU had doubled its lead after Tennessee had wasted an opportunity. 

“It looked like it was going foul,” Vitello said of the bunt, “but I’m also standing in the dugout spitting seeds into the ground. He’s out there playing in front of 25,000 (fans) … and he’s trying to make a play.

“And who knows? It may not have rolled foul. But then again, try and make a play. I mean, ‘put it in your back pocket’ is easy to say if you’re watching from home, but these kids are running around out there pouring their hearts out onto the field.”