Tennessee claims NCAA Regional title

The Vols (44-19) advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against the winner of the regional at Georgia Tech. It will be Tennessee’s first trip to the Super Regional round since 2001, when the Vols went to the College World Series.

Wichita State (51-24) earned a berth in the regional championship with a 3-2 victory over Winthrop earlier Sunday.

Sophomore right-hander Craig Cobb (7-4) went the distance, allowing eight hits and two earned runs with one walk and two strikeouts.

Starter Kyle Touchatt (3-5) took the loss for Wichita State, lasting just one-third of an inning.

Tennessee’s Rob Fitzgerald went 4-for-6 with a home run and scored three runs. Chase Headley was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homer, and two RBIs and Josh Alley had a single, double and three RBIs for the Vols.

Tennessee opened the game with a four-run first inning. Headley had an RBI double, Eli Iorg a two-run double and Julio Borbon a sacrifice fly.

Wichita State scored a run in the bottom of the first when Phil Napolitan led off with a double and scored on Damon Sublett’s one-out single.

Fitzgerald hit a solo homer in the third inning for a 5-1 lead.

The Vols scored three more runs in the top of the fifth to take an 8-1 lead. Headley led off with a homer and Alley hit a two-run single later in the inning.

Tennessee added a run in the seventh and three more in the eighth.