Last weekend’s three-game series between Tennessee and Auburn continues to have fans and pundits talking. No wonder, considering everything that happened in those three games, including the ejection of Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello.
In the midst of all the turmoil, the Tigers came out on top, winning the series 2-1. It is a very important result in their quest for the SEC Championship and the NCAA Tournament.
Tony Vitello’s Mark on the Volunteers’ Behaviour
Among the many debates the weekend generated in a general sense was the one that took place at the “Barn Baseball Show.” Among other things, the hosts of the popular show evaluated Tony Vitello’s role in the team’s outcome.
For Lindsay Crosby, Vitello’s influence has gone far beyond the team’s technical issues:
“Would it be fair to say that Auburn’s MVP may have been Tony Vitello In this series…?” Crosby said, partly joking, partly not so much. “Just the way that he has set the tone for this team, like the first inning, [Tennessee’s LFP] Liam Doyle strikes out [Auburn’s second baseman] Chris Rembert, and starts talking trash to Chris Rimbert. Like, right away, first batter, he’s talking trash…”
“It just felt like a lot of the stuff that happened between the teams could be traced back to the influence of Tony Vittello,” he added. “And while that works at times, they won a championship last year, I feel like this weekend is kind of where you saw when you get on the other side 0f that line, where it just sometimes backfires on you.”
Brad Law, backed up his colleague’s argument and gave his opinion on how the Vols operate:
“They [Tennessee] instigated, because it’s what they do. And at this point, you don’t get angry about it, and you’re not surprised by it. They have some sort of issue, seemingly every weekend, with the opponent. And if that happens, it’s not everybody else’s fault. It’s not ‘it takes two to tango’. It’s not. It’s: you got an issue, you instigate. It’s what you do.”
The controversial series began with Auburn winning 6-1 on Friday behind spectacular work from right-hander Samuel Dutton (6.2 innings, 1ER, 8 strikeouts) and offensive stand out Ike Irish, who drove in half of his team’s runs.
One day later, Tennessee rebounded with a 5-4 win in 11 innings, with Chris Newstrom’s golden hit driving in the winning run. Liam Doyle pitched the final two innings for the Vols, striking out three and allowing no runs to pick up his eighth win of the season.
On Sunday, the Tigers used freshman Christian Chatterton as their starter and he completely dominated the Vols for three innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three. Cade Fisher relieved him and also turned in a remarkable performance, allowing just one run and striking out five in four innings.
KEEP READING: 7 Best College Baseball Teams That Didn’t Win the College World Series
The game ended 6-1 in favor of Auburn in seven innings. In the top of the fifth, Tony Vitello was ejected for angrily protesting a call by the umpire.
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