KNOXVILLE, Tenn (TVC) – A beautiful day for baseball at Lindsey Nelson Stadium culminated in a thriller as the Volunteers edged out the USC Upstate Spartans. The “Base Vols” struggled early; after surrendering a run in the first inning, the offense remained quiet through the first six frames. That changed in the bottom of the seventh when sophomore two-way threat Blaine Brown laced a line drive to right-center, driving in two runs to give Tennessee a 2-1 lead.

The Spartans fought back in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 2-2, but sophomore pitcher Brayden Krenzel entered the game to record the final two outs and strand the go-ahead run. In the bottom of the ninth, Blake Grimmer provided the heroics, blasting a two-run, walk-off home run to right-center to seal the victory. Tennessee looks to carry this momentum into a high-stakes weekend road series against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The series kicks off Friday, March 27, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.