Tennessee baseball crumbles against Notre Dame, season ends a win shy of College World Series

The ball bounced toward the infield as coach Tony Vitello made the slow walk from the Tennessee baseball dugout to the mound.

Notre Dame’s Jack Brannigan had blistered the same ball into the left-field porches on an ill-fated pitch from Chase Burns. A Tennessee fan launched it back onto the field as the season spiraled away from the Vols.

Tennessee, which won a program-record 57 games, could not get the win it needed to reach the College World Series and chase a place among the best teams in college baseball history. It crumbled instead at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, falling 7-3 to Notre Dame (40-15) on Sunday in the Knoxville Super Regional final.

ANALYSIS: Tennessee baseball did extraordinary things. Its legacy is an incomplete journey.

ESTES: For Tennessee baseball, stunning loss and gut-wrenching exit will sting awhile

ADAMS: Notre Dame baseball, not Tennessee Vols, was No. 1 when it mattered most

REACTION: Social media readies the dirt to pile atop Tennessee baseball after season-ending loss

UT was 49-0 when leading after six innings entering Sunday.

Chase Burns was great until he wasn’t

Burns was sensational for the first six innings, pitching Tennessee (57-9) to the brink of a College World Series berth. The seventh inning was a different tale.

Burns allowed a one-out double to Carter Putz. He got a pop out, but Notre Dame catcher David LaManna hit a two-run homer into the Tennessee bullpen to tie the score 3-3. LaManna had one homer in 139 at-bats before the game-tying blast.

Brannigan hit a long foul ball over the left-field fence before squaring one up into the porches for back-to-back homers and a 4-3 lead.

Burns allowed four runs on five hits in 6⅔ innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Eighth-inning error was a dagger for Tennessee

Tennessee trailed by one in the eighth and was positioned to have two outs with a runner on. But Trey Lipscomb made a low throw to first that Luc Lipcius couldn’t pick, putting two on with one out instead.

Story continues

Vitello pulled Camden Sewell in favor of Kirby Connell, who got an out on a sacrifice bunt. Putz doubled to right center to score two more. Jack Zyska singled to score Putz to put UT down 8-3 with a string of unearned runs.

Seth Stephenson was the offense

Seth Stephenson delivered the two biggest hits for Tennessee with a pair of RBI hits.

The left fielder smacked a two-out single to left to score Jorel Ortega in the second, putting UT ahead 2-1. He came up big again in the fifth, lining a double over the head of Brannigan, who was pulled in expecting a punt. Cortland Lawson scored from first as Notre Dame shortstop Zack Prajzner hesitated as the cutoff man.

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 crumbles vs. Notre Dame, season ends shy of Omaha