5 important moments in Tennessee baseball's national ...

OMAHA, Neb. — The Tennessee baseball team was crowned champions when the final out was recorded in the ninth inning of Monday’s contest at Charles Schwab Field.

The Vols were tasked with a tough opponent, as Texas A&M would not go down lightly. After nine innings were played, Tennessee pulled out the 6-5 win.

Throughout the game, many plays were made. Here are five of the most important plays from the emphatic win.

Christian Moore leadoff homer to begin home half of the first inning

Tennessee trailed after one full inning in the two previous finals series games. That changed on Monday with Christian Moore in the box.

After going down 0-2 in the count and working a third-pitch ball, Moore blasted a 93-mph heater into the Vols bullpen in right field to put Tennessee ahead by a run in the opening frame. The lead was crucial, taking the pressure off of Zander Sechrist on the mound with some support already behind him.

The lead lasted throughout, and Moore’s blast allowed a wire-to-wire victory for Tennessee.

Sechrist blows a 2-2 pitch past Gavin Grahovac in the fifth

The third time through the order has been a daunting task for Sechrist this season. The order flipped around for the third time in the fifth inning on Monday. But the issue was non-existent at the time.

After mowing down Kaeden Kent and Travis Chestnut on strikes to begin the inning, it was Gavin Grahovac’s turn at the top of the lineup. However, Sechrist stayed true to his pitching. In a full count, the southpaw put a pitch right past Grahovac to strand him looking.

As he exited the mound, Sechrist raised his arms to pump up the Tennessee fans in attendance. Striking out the side in the fifth was a slight testament to his pitching with the national championship trophy on the line.

He lasted only one out into the sixth inning, but his book closed with just six hits allowed to go along with seven strikeouts and a questionable earned run.

Hunter Ensley evades the tag in the seventh

Kavares Tears smoked a ball off the wall in right-center in the bottom of the seventh inning. With Hunter Ensley already aboard on a single, Tears moved him around the bases.

However, Ensley was not settling for the stop sign at third base. He went ahead and rounded third and headed home. While the throw beat him to the plate, the determination to score went beyond the catcher in front of him. The redshirt junior outfielder evaded the tag, diving toward the plate and getting a hand at home before any tag was applied.

The Vols extended their lead to five runs with the contributions from Ensley’s best juke move.

Kirby Connell closes the door in the eighth

Dylan Loy was brought in as a relief arm for Snead. The outing turned rough as the Aggies tagged the freshman for two runs and another call to the bullpen was made.

‘Save a Horse’ played over the stadium speakers and it was Kirby Connell’s turn at the lineup. Facing two runners on base, Connell recorded two massive strikeouts to strand the runners.

Ryan Targac swung through a 1-2 pitch, as Connell made an electric exit from the mound, pumping his fists in excitement.

Connell’s outing in the eighth locked the score in at 6-3 as the inning closed. It was his final out as a Vol.

Aaron Combs’ final out

The biggest moment of the night goes to the pitch before the dogpile.

Combs brought on the celebration with an electric swinging strikeout on a 1-2 slider. Despite the tying run standing at the plate, the pitch went straight through the bat and the celebration ensued. Combs denied the Aggie comeback effort, and the dogpile ensued after a hug with Cal Stark.

An effort that will be swept under the rug, Combs’ performance back-to-back nights proves a crucial piece to Tennessee’s title run.