Tennessee batter celebrates go-ahead homer prematurely as Georgia outfielder makes incredible catch

Tennessee Volunteers catcher Stone Lawless thought helium had fixed his squad the pb successful the apical of the ninth inning against the Georgia Bulldogs connected Sunday, but his melodramatic bat slam was each for naught.

Lawless drove Bulldogs pitcher Justin Byrd’s transportation heavy to near field. He slammed the bat connected the crushed and began to observe with his teammates successful the dugout. However, Georgia near fielder Cole Johnson leaped astatine the partition and robbed the location run.

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Tennessee’s Stone Lawless astatine bat against Nicholls during an NCAA assemblage shot crippled connected Feb. 13, 2026, successful Knoxville, Tennessee. (Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Johnson and his Bulldogs teammates celebrated the 8-7 win. Lawless was stunned.

"Initially, I didn't deliberation it was a no-doubter. I thought helium caught the shot disconnected the extremity of the bat," Georgia caput manager Wes Johnson said aft the game, via the team’s website. "When Cole was going back, helium works connected that stuff. He gets aft it successful batting signifier and works connected that. Then erstwhile I saw him marque the catch, I couldn't judge it."

Cole Johnson said helium knew that if the shot was going to beryllium a location run, it would person been retired of his reach.

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Tennessee catcher Stone Lawless (27) hits a alert shot during the SEC Baseball Tournament Semifinals crippled betwixt Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores connected May 24, 2025, astatine Hoover Metropolitan Stadium successful Hoover, Alabama. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"I knew it was going to beryllium close up against the wall, and if it was a homer, it wasn't going to beryllium retired by much," helium said. "I was conscionable trying to get my backmost against the partition arsenic speedy arsenic I could."

Tennessee had a 6-3 pb successful the apical of the seventh inning, but a five-run inning successful the bottommost of the framework enactment Georgia up. Bryce Callaway’s three-run location tally helped springiness Georgia the lead.

A Georgia shot headdress during the men's assemblage shot crippled betwixt the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets connected March 3, 2024 astatine Coolray Field successful Lawrenceville, Georgia. (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The Bulldogs are 17-4 connected the year. Tennessee fell to 14-6.

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