In the end, it was Lawless who got robbed.
Tennessee sophomore Stone Lawless thought he'd powered the Volunteers to a ninth-inning lead against Georgia on Sunday when he crushed a towering drive to left off Bulldogs righty Justin Byrd that appeared bound to clear the fence.
After the ball met the barrel of his bat, Lawless slammed the lumber to the ground in emphatic celebration, then pointed to his dugout, where his teammates were equally ready to celebrate a clutch go-ahead dinger.
But neither Lawless nor the rest of the Volunteers had considered Georgia left fielder Cole Johnson.
Johnson, a freshman, tracked the ball to the wall, leaped and brought it back to rob Lawless of some heroics and seal an 8-7 Bulldogs win in a game they once trailed 5-0.
The sudden turn of events prompted a study in emotional opposites that such moments create: Johnson's teammates raced to swarm him in the outfield, creating a euphoric, if a bit unusual, winning celebration that traveled all the way to the left-field warning track.
Lawless, meanwhile, was understandably stunned, left to simply watch the celebration unfold and experience the feeling that comes with the downward plunge of such a figurative rollercoaster.
Johnson's robbery probably shouldn't surprise anyone, though. He's got skills. The 19-year-old was drafted by the Orioles in the 18th round of the 2025 MLB Draft before opting to attend college in Athens.
His home run robbery Sunday showed that exciting mid-March baseball -- not to mention crazy celebrations -- isn't limited to the World Baseball Classic.