HOOVER, Ala. — Max Ferguson and Pete Derkay each collected 3 RBI and No. 2 seed Tennessee beat third-seeded Mississippi State 12-2 in eight innings Thursday for its first victory in the SEC Tournament since 2007.
Tennessee (44-15) advances to the fourth round on Friday. Mississippi State (40-16) was eliminated after being outscored 25-3 in two games.
Chad Dallas (10-1) became the first Tennessee pitcher since 2005 to reach 10 wins in a season. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on six hits.
Derkay started the scoring with a three-run homer in a four-run second.