KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee opened its weekend series against border rival Kentucky with a convincing 8-2 victory on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers (33-5, 12-4 SEC) put together a complete performance in all three phases to win their third straight game against the Wildcats (20-15, 6-10 SEC) dating back to last season.
After giving up a two-run homer to UK’s Devin Burkes in the first inning, Liam Doyle rebounded to spin yet another gem on the mound, striking out nine in seven innings of work to improve to 7-1 on the year. The junior lefthander allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings following the Wildcats’ two runs on three hits in the opening frame.
Cannon Balls
Cannon Peebles built off his three-hit day in the series finale at Ole Miss last Sunday with another impressive performance at the dish on Friday night, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and a season-high four RBIs.
Peebles three-run homer in the sixth inning gave the Vols some breathing room, increasing their lead to five before the junior catcher added one more insurance run with a solo shot in the eighth to make it 8-2.
Even more impressive was the fact that each of Peebles homers came from opposite sides of the plate.
The Century Mark
After hitting consecutive batters and walking another to load the bases with one out in the top of the fifth, Doyle buckled down to retire the next two hitters, including a strikeout of Burkes to escape the jam. The punchout was his 100th of the season, making him the first pitcher in the country to reach the century mark this year.
Odds and Ends
Four different UT players drove in runs on the night in Peebles, Dean Curley, Dalton Bargo and Reese Chapman, who’s two-out single in the bottom of the first plated a pair of runs to give the Big Orange a 3-2 lead after falling behind early.
Curley also had a solid night at the plate with two hits, including a home run, and two runs scored.
Reliever Tanner Franklin looked impressive out of the bullpen, tossing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts to finish the game.
Up Next
Tennessee will aim to clinch the series on Saturday when the two teams meet for game two of the weekend series at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
