Tennessee baseball needs another ‘Vol special.’ Will it have one in the CWS final?

OMAHA, Neb. — Tennessee baseball had a long night that ended as a late night Saturday.

It won’t have much time to linger on what transpired against Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field, where it’ll return to Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ABC).

“That’s our ‘Vol special,’ ” outfielder Dalton Bargo said.

To Bargo and the Vols, that means scrubbing an outcome — in this case, a deflating 9-5 loss in the College World Series final opener — and coming back anew with little time to reset.

It has no choice but to deliver not one, but two Vol specials now: Tennessee must win back-to-back games Sunday and Monday in the CWS final to win the national title. A loss ends the season.

“You can either get frustrated that tonight went the way that it did or you can get more determined,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said. “We have guys that have done in the past a lot where determination kicks up, play kicks up.”

The way Saturday went was annoyingly similar to its CWS opener against Florida State where a typically composed Vols team was anything but. It made three errors, two of which were costly. The pitching staff lacked put-away pitches.

This time, Tennessee didn’t have a magical ninth-inning comeback.

Maybe it was trying to do too much and it led to the fielding foibles. Maybe there was some tension. Vitello posed that Tennessee got more emotional than it usually does.

Regardless, there’s no window to sulk, and it was clear that Vitello’s message to his team centered on the reminder that it is a best-of-three series.

“It is a three-round fight,” catcher Cal Stark said. “No matter who wins the first one, somebody has to win the second one.”

Tennessee has been remarkable at responding to losses this season. It has lost back-to-back games just once. That was in its SEC-opening series against Alabama on March 16 and 17.

The Vols have won three series this season after losing the first game, taking weekends from Georgia, Auburn and Kentucky. All three were on the road.

Vitello remarked on more recent history Saturday, suggesting a parallel to Tennessee’s Knoxville Super Regional loss to Evansville and that a clean clock from an opponent can serve a purpose.

“That Evansville game was a little good for us,” Vitello said. “This time of year, you are only going to be able to go on a streak for so long. I think you need to be reminded every now and again of the certain things you need to do.”

Vitello took that sentiment to heart. He suggested he made 17 or 18 decisions he could have made better. He has one easy decision to make Sunday in giving the ball to junior Drew Beam, who has a knack for performing in do-or-die games with his Sunday starter background.

ADAMS: Tennessee baseball lapses have it needing 2-game comeback for CWS title | Adams

Beam was the first Vol to march through the tunnel to the team bus Saturday. He looked to have that determination Vitello talked about the team needing.

“We are not in a spot we haven’t been in before,” Bargo said. “We just have to bounce back tomorrow.”

That’s what they call a “Vol special,” after all.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Can Tennessee baseball come back to win College World Series final?