Sports

Tennessee Baseball Player Mocked For Premature Celebration As Vicious Bat Spike Ages Like Milk

#College Baseball
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© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


The Tennessee baseball team fell in a three-game series to rival Georgia in the opening weekend of SEC play. The Vols thought they’d won the rubber match before having victory snatched from their grasp.

Stone Lawless was sure he’d given his team a lead in its final at-bat. The Bulldogs made sure it wasn’t so.

Tennessee won Game 1 in Athens 7-4 to take an early advantage in the set. Georgia evened the series on Saturday to force a decisive Game 3.

That finale would go back and forth. The Vols went up 5-0 across the first three frames. Georgia battled back to take the lead with a five-run sixth inning.

Tennessee entered the top of the ninth trailing 8-6. They cut the deficit in half on a Blake Grimmer home run. They appeared to go ahead a few batters later.

Georgia robbed Tennessee of a baseball win.

Stone Lawless came in to pinch hit with Tennessee down to its last out. The tying run was on first base.

The slugger turned on an 0-1 breaking ball for what looked like the go-ahead home run. Georgia pitcher Justin Byrd thought it was gone. Lawless did, too.

Believing he’d given his team the lead, Lawless spiked his bat. He then prematurely celebrated with teammates as he walked down the first base line.

All the while, Georgia outfielder Cole Johnson tracked the fly ball. He made the catch to rob Tennessee of a home run and a win.

The out ended the game. Lawless was mocked after the fact.

“That’s the most Tennessee highlight that has ever volunteered itself onto this app,” wrote one fan. Another said, “THIS is why you don’t celebrate like this unless it’s an absolute no-doubter.”

With the loss, the Vols dropped their first SEC series in embarrassing fashion. The 19th-ranked squad fell to 14-6.

Georgia improved to 17-4 and should move up the AP Poll.